Vettel Can't Explain Hamilton's Blistering Pole Lap

The four-time world champions went head-to-head for the first time in 2018 with the Brit coming out on top.

Sebastian Vettel was only good enough for third in qualifying at the season-opening round in Australia. He and his Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen could only get within 0.6s of pole sitter Lewis Hamilton who stormed to the 73rd pole position of his career. The German was left to wonder what Hamilton had done to find so much pace.

“I don’t know what he did to find that much time, maybe he didn’t wake up until the end,” Vettel said.

“I could maybe get to within half a second of that providing my lap was absolutely perfect.

“But overall I’m pretty happy. It wasn’t very good yesterday, today was a lot better. I’m quite happy that we put the cars right at the front, very close to pole. That gives us a good shot.

“The last four years everyone’s been closer to Mercedes in the race than in qualifying so hope on that.”

Although Ferrari couldn't match Mercedes' race pace, a crash for Valtteri Bottas in Q3 means Hamilton is left vulnerable at the front and will have to see off the possibility of a split strategy from the Scuderia to secure the first win of the 2018 season.

Hamilton said he left his charge until the end to "wipe the smile off" of his long-term rivals face in a prickly but good-natured joke in the post-qualifying press conference, Vettel, however, was quick to remind him that the points are handed out on Sunday and not for pole position.