Lewis Hamilton hit another major milestone in his illustrious career on Saturday when the Mercedes world champion claimed a 100th Formula One pole at the Spanish Grand Prix.
The championship leader's latest achievement puts him 32 clear of Michael Schumacher in the all-time pole chart and leaves him in prime position to secure a record-extending 98th win in Sunday's race.
"I'll always remember that one," he said.
Alongside the 36-year-old Briton on the front row in Barcelona will be his Red Bull title rival Max Verstappen, who trails Hamilton by eight points in the drivers' standings after the first three races.
Hamilton reached his century 14 years after securing his maiden pole in the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix, which he went on to win to take the first step on the road to becoming F1's most successful driver.
He drew level and overtook Schumacher's record haul of 91 wins last season and leads the drivers' standings this season as he goes for an unprecedented eighth world crown.
"I can't believe we are at 100 and it's down to the men and women back at the factory who are continuously raising the bar," Hamilton said. "The support I have, it's a dream to work with these guys.
"Who would have though at the end of 2012 when we made the decision to partner, we'd be qualifying at 100. I feel humble and grateful – it's like my first!"
Verstappen, who won the Italian Grand Prix last month and has joined Hamilton on the podium at every race so far this season, at last has a car up to the job of mounting a serious title challenge.
The Dutch driver got to within 0.036sec to Hamilton's fastest lap on Saturday to join him at the head of the Montmelo circuit grid.
"It was good. I struggled in Q1 but we sorted out the balance in Q2," Verstappen said. "Q3 both laps were pretty decent, the second run was a little worse. It is quite gusty. Nevertheless second for us is very good. We know they are hard to beat around here. To be that close we can be happy with that."
Hamilton's Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas will start third alongside Charles Leclerc for Ferrari on the second row. The Finn, who claimed pole in Portugal last weekend and has two third-place finishes so far this season, is expecting a strong challenge from Red Bull at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Sunday.
"That was close. I was definitely in the battle for the pole and I think the first runs in Q3 were faster ones but in Turn 10, I had snap at the apex and lost a tenth or so, and that's the margins of the pole. With a strong package, it's going to be a good fight tomorrow, no doubt," Bottas said.
"I think it'll be close between us and Red Bull. I think there are possibilities to do one stop or two stop – but I'm not going to reveal ours!"
If Verstappen does not want to fight the Mercedes cars alone, he will need to see big improvements from teammate Sergio Perez who could only qualify in eighth position. The Mexican will be joined on the fourth row of the grid by McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo.
The third row will be occupied by Renault's Esteban Ocon and Carlos Sainz Jr in the second Ferrari.
The man to beat, however, will undoubtedly be the man on pole. Hamilton has a superb record in Catalonia, winning the race in each of the last four years with five wins altogether.
THE DETAILS
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Dir: Ron Howard
Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson
3/5
Afghanistan fixtures
- v Australia, today
- v Sri Lanka, Tuesday
- v New Zealand, Saturday,
- v South Africa, June 15
- v England, June 18
- v India, June 22
- v Bangladesh, June 24
- v Pakistan, June 29
- v West Indies, July 4
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
The five pillars of Islam
The five pillars of Islam
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
More coverage from the Future Forum
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Zayed Sustainability Prize
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
As it stands in Pool A
1. Japan - Played 3, Won 3, Points 14
2. Ireland - Played 3, Won 2, Lost 1, Points 11
3. Scotland - Played 2, Won 1, Lost 1, Points 5
Remaining fixtures
Scotland v Russia – Wednesday, 11.15am
Ireland v Samoa – Saturday, 2.45pm
Japan v Scotland – Sunday, 2.45pm
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
More from Aya Iskandarani
if you go
The specs: 2018 Jaguar E-Pace First Edition
Price, base / as tested: Dh186,480 / Dh252,735
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 246hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 365Nm @ 1,200rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.7L / 100km
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
2252 - Dh50
6025 - Dh20
6027 - Dh100
6026 - Dh200
Expert input
If you had all the money in the world, what’s the one sneaker you would buy or create?
“There are a few shoes that have ‘grail’ status for me. But the one I have always wanted is the Nike x Patta x Parra Air Max 1 - Cherrywood. To get a pair in my size brand new is would cost me between Dh8,000 and Dh 10,000.” Jack Brett
“If I had all the money, I would approach Nike and ask them to do my own Air Force 1, that’s one of my dreams.” Yaseen Benchouche
“There’s nothing out there yet that I’d pay an insane amount for, but I’d love to create my own shoe with Tinker Hatfield and Jordan.” Joshua Cox
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“I’d stir up a creative collaboration with designers Martin Margiela of the mixed patchwork sneakers, and Yohji Yamamoto.” Hussain Moloobhoy
“If I had all the money in the world, I’d live somewhere where I’d never have to wear shoes again.” Raj Malhotra
