YEONGAM (South Korea): Unsmiling assassin Lewis Hamilton killed off Red Bull’s run of 16 pole positions in a row with the fastest lap in qualifying for McLaren at the Korean Formula One Grand Prix on Saturday.
The pole was the first for McLaren since Hamilton took the top slot in Canada in June last year, 27 races ago, and came in the team’s 700th Grand Prix.
Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel, who became the sport’s youngest double world champion in Japan last weekend at the age of 24, qualified second and 0.222 slower.
McLaren’s Jenson Button was third and Mark Webber fourth in the other Red Bull.
Hamilton’s feat ended Red Bull’s hopes of beating the record of 24 successive poles set by Williams in 1992/93. It also provided an immediate reply to those increasingly vocal critics questioning his state of mind in a nightmare season.
“It’s probably one of the first positives I’ve had in a while,” said a muted Hamilton, who has been absent from the podium in the past five races in a season full of crashes and controversies.
The 2008 world champion professed himself happy, even if he scarcely smiled and his voice reflected no great joy, in the post-qualifying news conference.
“I am very proud of what the team have been able to achieve in the last few races,” said the Briton who has been out-performed by Japanese GP winner Button in the latter half of the season. Vettel had been on pole for 12 of the previous 15 races and, despite the rare setback, can still beat Nigel Mansell’s 1992 record of 14 in a single season.
The German had beaten Button by nine thousandths of a second to pole at Suzuka. (Reuters)