Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton made history by becoming the first driver to secure 100 pole positions after setting the fastest lap for Mercedes in the qualifying session of the Spanish Grand Prix on Saturday.
The 36-year-old driver was already far ahead of the rest in the record books, with the legendary Ferrari retired, and his seven-time champion teammate Michael Schumacher in second place on the all-time list of pole-sitters with 68.
The British driver shouted with joy over the team radio as his engineer relayed the news.
“I feel very humble, very grateful. I’m ecstatic, like it’s the first,” Hamilton said after the session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen joined the championship-leading Briton, who holds an eight-point advantage after three races, on the front row with a time 0.036 seconds slower, setting the stage for another wheel-to-wheel duel on Sunday.
Valtteri Bottas qualified third for Mercedes, a week after the Finn secured pole in Portugal.
Hamilton’s pole continued Mercedes’ remarkable dominance, with the champions taking the top spot in every race at the Spanish circuit since the now-retired Nico Rosberg started the streak in 2013.
“I can’t believe we’re at 100, and it really is down to the men and women who continuously raise the bar and never give up,” said Hamilton, who will aim to win on Sunday to extend that number.
Only five drivers in the sport’s 71-year history have amassed 100 poles or more, and Hamilton’s milestone puts him far ahead even of Red Bull, which as a team has achieved 64 so far.
Hamilton, who secured his first pole with McLaren in 2007, had set the fastest time of 1 minute 16.741 seconds with his first quick lap in the final phase and couldn’t improve it on his second attempt.
It appeared that Mexican Sergio Pérez had hindered him by spinning his Red Bull forward, but there were no warning yellow flags.
Pérez later told reporters that he had been struggling with left shoulder pain that worsened as the session progressed, which was delayed 10 minutes for officials to fix barriers.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc qualified fourth with Esteban Ocon fifth on the Alpine grid ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.
Australian Daniel Ricciardo will start seventh for McLaren, one place ahead of Pérez, with McLaren’s Lando Norris qualifying ninth, and Spaniard Fernando Alonso rounding out the top ten for Alpine.
Norris had been the fastest in the first phase of qualifying, with Verstappen topping the second part with an impressive lap of 1:16.922.
Meanwhile, Hamilton made small adjustments to find more pace and get the “lazy” car to turn as he wanted before the final shootout.
“It’s quite gusty around here, so the wind changes a lot,” said Verstappen. “Nevertheless, I think second place for us here on this track was very good today. We know they are hard to beat around here, but being so close, I can be happy.”
No driver has won from pole position so far this season, but the Barcelona circuit rewards the grid position more than most, with the winner emerging from pole 22 times in 30 races to date.
Hamilton has won there five times, including the last four, and is chasing his third victory in a season that has turned into a battle between him and Verstappen, who is also celebrating his own century of starts for Red Bull.
The 23-year-old triumphed in his debut with the team in Barcelona in 2016, becoming the youngest winner in history at 18.
Further down the grid, Williams’ George Russell managed to make it through to the second phase to secure 15th place on the grid.
