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• Hamilton takes pole position for Portuguese GP.
• Hamilton beat team mate Bottas to the position.
• This is Hamilton's 97th career pole.
• For more motoring stories, go to www.Wheels24.co.za
Following a 30-minute delay, qualifying for tomorrow's Portuguese Grand Prix finally got underway. At the end of the session, it was Lewis Hamilton who took pole position ahead of team mate Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen from Red Bull Racing.
Hamilton pulled a rabbit out of the hat in the closing stages of the race to take pole position by a mere 0.1 seconds from Mercedes team mate Bottas. It was Hamilton's 97th career pole position, which puts him on track to secure the win come the race tomorrow.
Bottas was the driver to beat throughout all the sessions, leading the pack into qualifying. Unfortunately, he was unable to put it all together for pole position.
Best and worst
Verstappen was the only driver to really challenge the two Mercedes drivers, and in the end, taking third place ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Leclerc made the most from the aerodynamic upgrades Ferrari brought onto the car to find himself on the second row of the grid.
His team mate, Sebastian Vettel, failed to make it out of the second part of qualifying, only managing 15th place in the end.
WRAP: 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix - Lewis Hamilton on pole for Portuguese GP
Verstappen's team mate, Alex Albon, failed to make an impression throughout qualifying. Though he qualified sixth, he was nowhere near a competitive level. Red Bull also told Albon that if he fails to perform over the next few races, he will be replaced for the 2021 season.
For Hamilton, tomorrow's race could be a record-breaking one. If he crosses the finish line first, he will register the 92nd win of his career, going one clear of the record he currently shares with F1 legend Michael Schumacher. Hamilton is yet to sign a new contract with his Mercedes team, but it is unlikely that he will not renew his contract for 2021 and beyond.
