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Lewis Hamilton claims pole in Melbourne

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton claims pole ahead of the opening Grand Prix of the season in Australia.

Lewis Hamilton has secured pole position for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix, with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel joining him on the front row in Melbourne.

There had been much debate regarding which car would begin the campaign on the front foot, but it was the Mercedes of Hamilton which prevailed ahead of the opening race of the season.

Mercedes and Ferrari make up the second row too, with Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen third and fourth respectively, while Max Verstappen is fifth in the Red Bull.

Romain Grosjean was an impressive sixth with Haas, but Daniel Ricciardo was only 10th after crashing out of the final session.

There was disappointment for McLaren, however, with Fernando Alonso only in 13th place and teammate Stoffel Vandoorne in 18th position.

Full Standings:

1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
4. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
6. Romain Grosjean (Haas)
7. Felipe Massa (Williams)
8. Carlos Sainz (Toro Rosso)
9. Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso)
10. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)
11. Sergio Perez (Force India)
12. Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)
13. Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
14. Esteban Ocon (Force India)
15. Marcus Ericsson (Sauber)
16. Antonio Giovinazzi (Sauber)
17. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
18. Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren)
19. Lance Stroll (Williams)
20. Jolyon Palmer (Renault)

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Written by
Darren Plant
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Sebastian Vettel of Germany and Ferrari celebrates on the podium after winning the Formula One Grand Prix of Singapore at Marina Bay Street Circuit on September 20, 2015
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