Malaysian Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton grabs pole with quickest lap EVER around Sepang
Rattled rival Nico Rosberg was clearly feeling the pressure eight points clear in the championship with six races to go
LEWIS HAMILTON stamped his authority on the title race as he grabbed pole for the Malaysian Grand Prix with the quickest ever qualifying lap around Sepang.
Rattled rival Nico Rosberg was clearly feeling the pressure eight points clear in the championship with six races to go as he qualified in second after some twitchy laps.
After finishing third in Singapore Hamilton hit back in the title hunt to make sure his arch rival and Mercedes teammate starts tomorrow's crunch race behind him on the grid.
Hamilton said: "I really enjoyed the lap - it could have been faster, though.
"A huge thanks to the team who have continued to improve. This is definitely the best the car has been - great work coming into this weekend after Nico's wins.
"The track is better, a lot smoother than it has been and I think it will be a close race - but we are looking quite strong too and hopefully that is the case."
Merc over-lord Niki Lauda said his 31-year-old driver "did the perfect job."
Teenage sensation Max Verstappen starts third with Daniel Ricciardo fourth and Sebastian Vettel fifth.
Red-hot Ham tore it around the south east Asian circuit to clock the fastest lap outside of a Grand Prix by an F1 driver.
The Brit's 1m 32.850s beat Juan Pablo Montoya's lap-record of 1m 34.223s from 2004 - but only a loop during a race can count as the official record.
For every flying lap Rosberg set in Q2 Hamilton smashed it out of the park with a quicker one as he put his toughest game-face on.
