Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain sits in the cockpit of his car during the third practice session for the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, March 14, 2015. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)
The Associated Press
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton claimed a record-breaking pole position for the Formula One season-opening race at the Australia Grand Prix with a dominant performance in Saturday's qualifying.
Last season's F1 champion set a time of 1 minute, 26.327 seconds at the Albert Park circuit, six-tenths of a second faster than teammate Nico Rosberg, as Mercedes locked out the front row.
It was Hamilton's fourth pole in Australia, the first driver to reach that mark.
Williams driver Felipe Massa qualified third, ahead of Ferrari drivers Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen.
It was a day to forget for McLaren - the most successful team in the race's history. Its two cars qualified on the last row of the grid as the team struggles with its new Honda engine.
Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany steers his car during the third practice session for the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, March 14, 2015. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith)
The Associated Press
Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg of Germany sits in his car as his pit crew do a tire change during the third practice session for the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, March 14, 2015. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)
The Associated Press
Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany steers out of his garage in the pit lane during the third practice session for the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, March 14, 2015. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)
The Associated Press