Hamilton grabs Abu Dhabi pole
Briton forces reigning world champ Vettel off the front row for the first time in four races
A happy and supremely-dominant Lewis Hamilton crushed all his rivals yesterday as he set up a Red Bull party-wrecking race in today's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix by taking his sixth pole position of the season.
The 27-year-old Briton was simply untouchable as he steered his car to the fastest time in all three parts of the session, finishing with an outstanding best time of one minute and 40.630 seconds.
His dazzling display ended Red Bull's run of three consecutive races in which they dominated qualifying and produced front-row lockouts.
Defending champion and series leader Sebastian Vettel qualified only third and will miss out on a front-row start in Abu Dhabi for the first time after suffering technical problems for much of the day.
Vettel's main title rival, Fernando Alonso of Ferrari, struggled to qualify seventh in a frustrating session.
Hamilton's best lap, clocked on his first run in the top-10 shootout, was good enough to leave him three-tenths of a second clear of Vettel's teammate Mark Webber, who will share the front row with him for today's 55-lap race at the 5.554-kilometre Yas Marina Circuit.
Hamilton's pole was his sixth this year and the 25th of his career on a circuit that he clearly responds to with great elan - and gives him a perfect opportunity to upset the Red Bull express and end Vettel's run of four consecutive wins in pursuit of his goal of becoming F1's youngest triple world champion.