Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton poses for a picture with the pole position trophy after the qualifying session on the eve of the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit in the city of Sakhir. Pic/AFP
Lewis Hamilton stormed to a 98th career pole on Saturday with a record lap in qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The Briton lapped the floodlit 5.4-kilometer long Sakhir track in one minute, 27.264 seconds, the fastest ever around the desert venue, to beat Mercedes team mate Valtteri Bottas by 0.289 seconds.
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Red Bull's Max Verstappen was third.
"I think with the pressure a little bit off it was a release to go and drive like that," said Hamilton who equalled Michael Schumacher's record haul of seven titles two weeks ago in Turkey.
"I am on the ragged edge, naturally, and it is about trying to find that perfect balance and chipping away."
Sunday's Bahrain race marks the start of Formula One's season-ending triple header.
That puts Hamilton, already the most successful qualifier in the sport's history, on course to complete a century of pole positions at the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
Alexander Albon bounced back strongly from his Friday practice crash. Given a new chassis by Red Bull, he will line up alongside team mate Verstappen on the second row of the grid after setting the fourth-fastest time.
Sergio Perez was fifth for Racing Point ahead of Renault pair Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon.
Pierre Gasly was eighth for Alpha Tauri ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris and team mate Daniil Kvyat.
Ferrari, dominant in Bahrain a year ago, could do no better than 11th and 12th for Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc respectively.
The German, who returned to the podium at the last race in Turkey, missed out on the top-ten by just over a tenth.
Qualifying was halted briefly when Carlos Sainz spun. His McLaren appeared to have suffered a locked rear axle which left him stranded on the edge of the track.
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