Formula One points leader Lewis Hamilton conquered the field on Saturday, storming his way to the pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix for Mercedes AMG Petronas.
The land of the rising sun has been kind to Lewis Hamilton over the years. And as the Mercedes driver has taken command of the Formula One world championship, his chief rival Sebastian Vettel is hoping for a strong finish to the season beginning in Japan.
Saturday in qualifying, Hamilton reasserted his authority, taking the pole position for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
With his tenth pole in sixteen races in the 2017 season, Lewis Hamilton will lead the field to green on Sunday in Suzuka.
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Teammate Valtteri Bottas qualified second on the grid, but will receive a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change. That will elevate Sebastian Vettel to the front row from his third starting spot on Sunday.
The lead driver for Mercedes AMG Petronas outpaced the field at every turn in qualifying on Saturday. Hamilton was the fastest driver in all three rounds of the session, though the field closed in a bit in Q3.
Hamilton outpaced Bottas by 0.332 seconds in the final round of qualifying.
Here are the full qualifying results for the Japanese Grand Prix from the Suzuka Circuit:
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Mercedes AMG Petronas
- Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, Mercedes AMG Petronas
- Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, Scuderia Ferrari
- Daniel Ricciardo, Tag Heuer, Red Bull Racing
- Max Verstappen, Tag Heuer, Red Bull Racing
- Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, Scuderia Ferrari
- Esteban Ocon, Mercedes, Force India
- Sergio Perez, Mercedes, Force India
- Felipe Massa, Mercedes, Williams Martini Racing
- Fernando Alonso, Honda, McLaren
- Stoffel Vandoorne, Honda, McLaren
- Nico Hulkenberg, Renault, Renault Sport
- Kevin Magnussen, Ferrari, Haas F1
- Jolyon Palmer, Renault, Renault Sport
- Carlos Sainz Jr., Renault, Scuderia Toro Rosso
- Romain Grosjean, Ferrari, Haas F1
- Pierre Gasly, Renault, Scuderia Toro Rosso
- Lance Stroll, Mercedes, Williams Martini Racing
- Marcus Ericsson, Ferrari, Sauber
- Pascal Wehrlein, Ferrari, Sauber
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Be sure to tune in for the next race in the Formula One world championship from Japan on Sunday, October 8th. Coverage from the Suzuka Circuit can be seen at midnight eastern time, live on NBCSN and the NBC Sports app. Who do you think will win the Japanese Grand Prix?