Lewis Hamilton set a blistering 1:27.319 -- the quickest ever lap around the Suzuka circuit -- to claim a comfortable pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix, where he will start ahead of title rival Sebastian Vettel.
Mercedes has returned to normal form in Japan after struggling for pace in Singapore and Malaysia , with Hamilton looking untouchable in the qualifying sessions. His final benchmark was 0.332s quicker than the nearest man, teammate Valtteri Bottas, though the Finn will drop five places down the order once his grid penalty is applied for a gearbox change ahead of the weekend.