Lewis Hamilton said the pace of his Mercedes was a “real shock” after he stormed his way to a sixth straight pole in Melbourne.
That result also secured his eighth pole overall at the circuit, moving the five-time champ level with the achievements of Michael Schumacher in Japan, and Ayrton Senna’s pole record in San Marino.
A rejuvenated Valtteri Bottas provided Hamilton’s only challenge for pole, with both drivers trading new one-lap records at Albert Park, leaving the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel a staggering six tenths adrift in P3.
Speaking via Motorsport Week, Hamilton said: “We went back to factory [after testing], knew we had work to do.