Hamilton posted a new lap record of 1:30.849 seconds, shaving more than two tenths off Sebastian Vettel's 2018 qualifying time of 1:31.095 seconds, as he became the oldest pole sitter since Nigel Mansell at the 1994 Australian GP.

Vettel had joined Ferrari the previous year from Red Bull, where he had won four straight world championships from 2010 to 2013, dominating the sport. Yet for all his success, nothing could match the allure of racing for F1’s most famous,