Nico Rosberg stormed to his sixth consecutive pole-position, beating Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton by a handy margin in the final qualifying session of the year in Abu Dhabi.


Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg during the final qualifying session of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina circuit on Saturday. Pic/AFP

Rosberg lapped the floodlit 5.5-kilometer long Yas Marina Circuit in one minute 40.237 seconds, a significant three-and-a-half tenths of a second faster than Hamilton, to take the 22nd pole of his career and seventh of this season overall. "I'm quicker at the moment," Rosberg, who had generally struggled to match Hamilton for speed until his pole-run kicked off at September's Japanese Grand Prix, said. "I'm very pleased about that, enjoying the moment and happy to be on pole again," Rosberg who also started last year's race here from pole, said.