Charles Leclerc claimed his fourth pole position in succession, and his sixth of the season, during qualifying for Formula 1’s Russian Grand Prix.
Leclerc, who was seven-tenths clear in Q2, set two laps quick enough for pole position during Q3 at the Sochi Autodrom, becoming the only driver to dip into the 1:31s, as he wound up with a 1:31.628.
It is the first time since 2001 that one Ferrari driver has taken four poles on the bounce, and maintains Leclerc’s unbeaten qualifying run since Formula 1’s summer break.
It also ensures he has out-qualified team-mate Sebastian Vettel at each of the last nine races.
Vettel had been second after the first runs but Lewis Hamilton vaulted onto the front-row, 0.402s behind Leclerc, and just 0.023s ahead of his fellow World Champion, with his final run.
Max Verstappen, who will take a five-place grid penalty, was fourth, and will now drop to ninth place, while Valtteri Bottas was a subdued fifth, but will nonetheless move up to fourth.
Ferrari and Mercedes will have different tyre strategies for the first stint of the race, with Ferrari’s drivers on Softs, and Mercedes’ duo on Mediums, after they split their approaches for Q2.
McLaren’s Carlos Sainz Jr. edged Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg to take sixth position, with their respective team-mates Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo eighth and 10th.
Romain Grosjean returned Haas to the Q3 positions as he classified ninth.
Pierre Gasly missed out on a Q3 spot by just 0.052s in an ultra-competitive Q2 session, though now has free choice of starting tyre, amid his impending demotion to 16th on the grid due to an engine change.
Sergio Perez was 12th for Racing Point, with Antonio Giovinazzi the quicker of the Alfa Romeo drivers for the second race in succession.
Kevin Magnussen made two mistakes on his final lap as he slid wide through Turn 9 before making a mess of the entry to Turn 10, aborting that effort en route to 14th overall.
Lance Stroll was the slowest of the Q2 runners as his final push lap was compromised by a moment through Turn 8.
Kimi Raikkonen failed to negotiate his way through the first qualifying session as his prospects were dented by a messy approach through the final 90-degree right-hander.
Williams was once more mired substantially off the pace, with its FW42 struggling comparatively at the venue, having lacked the required compromise of heavy kerb usage on the smooth surface.
George Russell nonetheless preserved his unbeaten one-lap head-to-head record against Robert Kubica, with an advantage of 1.118s over the Pole.
Kubica had a scruffy session which involved going off at Turn 13 and abandoning his final lap, as his woes showed no sign of abating.
The pair nonetheless classified 17th and 18th respectively due to problems elsewhere.
Alexander Albon had to back off on his first Q1 push lap, due to yellow flags, and on his second effort brought his session to a premature conclusion.
Albon lost control of his Red Bull RB15 through Turn 13 and slid backwards into the barriers, causing damage to the rear of the car.
Daniil Kvyat, already facing starting from the back of the grid, did not participate in the session, as Honda elected to fit more engine components to his Toro Rosso in the wake of his FP3 stoppage.
Sunday’s 53-lap Russian Grand Prix is scheduled for 14:10 local time
