Toto Wolff said Lewis Hamilton alone made the difference between pole position and second on the grid in China after Mercedes beat Ferrari in qualifying.
In another tight Q3 fight between the two teams looking likely to be the main protagonists in this year's championship, Hamilton beat Vettel to pole -- as he did at the Australian Grand Prix -- by 0.186s. Ferrari had dominated FP2 and the early stages of qualifying, so much that Mercedes chairman Niki Lauda was betting on the Italian team for pole, but Hamilton's Q3 laps proved decisive.
When asked what was the key in overhauling Ferrari's early advantage, Mercedes boss Wolff replied: "Lewis Hamilton.