2016 F1 Round 16 Malaysian GP Qualifying, Hamilton Takes Pole as Mercedes Locks Out Front Row

Hamilton took pole for the Malaysian Grand Prix with a 1:32.850, beating team-mate Rosberg by 0.414 seconds. Verstappen and Ricciardo qualified third and fourth, giving Red Bull the second row.

Archive image of three drivers together after qualifying for the 2016 Malaysian Grand Prix

Hamilton established his advantage on the first Q3 runs. Although a front-wheel lock-up prevented him from improving on his final flying lap, no one could dislodge him from pole. He abandoned that final attempt and retained first place with his earlier time.

Rosberg could not get close enough to his team-mate on his final attempt and ended up second with a 1:33.264. Mercedes locked out the front row at Sepang for the first time, though its advantage still faced the test of a full race distance.

Verstappen took third with a 1:33.420, 0.570 seconds off pole. Ricciardo was fourth on a 1:33.467, a gap of 0.617 seconds. Red Bull occupied the second row, but both cars remained more than half a second behind Hamilton.

Vettel and Räikkönen qualified fifth and sixth, placing Ferrari on the third row. Pérez was seventh and Hülkenberg eighth, putting both Force Indias in the top eight.

Button qualified ninth at his 300th Grand Prix, ahead of Massa in tenth. Bottas was 11th and Grosjean 12th, with Gutiérrez, Magnussen, Kvyat and Sainz further back in the midfield.

The forecast had suggested a chance of light rain, but rain did not affect tyre choices during qualifying. Hamilton locked a front wheel on his final lap, while Rosberg could not reduce the gap sufficiently, and the final top-ten order was settled.

Hamilton would lead the front row, with Rosberg starting alongside him and the two Red Bulls immediately behind. Mercedes had secured the single-lap advantage, but Red Bull and Ferrari still had opportunities to apply pressure through race pace and pit-stop strategy.