Hamilton had fun in qualifying(credit:
Two Big Paws)
Lewis Hamilton told us he expected the Abu Dhabi circuit to suit his McLaren car and so it proved as the British ace secured pole position in the final grand prix of the 2009 Formula One season.
Hamilton has certainly been the man to follow in the second half of the campaign, with two wins, a second and a couple more podium finishes in the last seven races.
And after being fastest in qualifying for the fourth time since August, last year's world champion described the session as being 'as fun as it looked'.
Hamilton added: "My pole lap wasn’t too aggressive. I was very smooth and it just kept getting better and better.
"KERS Hybrid and the engine have been fantastic all season and today was no exception - but it’s the chassis that has really come good lately and we’ve brought them all together this weekend to create the perfect package."
The hot, humid conditions also aided the McLaren set-up and team principal Martin Whitmarsh is full of hope that Hamilton can convert his qualifying superiority into a race victory.
“Lewis did a brilliant job, demonstrating prodigious speed, to secure pole position in dominant fashion," Whitmarsh told formula1.com.
"We were relatively aggressive in terms of his fuel strategy, but we’ve certainly been more aggressive in a few other qualifying sessions this year and there’s therefore no doubt that his pace here is very genuine."
Hamilton is now 2/5 at sportingbet to win the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with Red Bull pair Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber 7/1 and 10/1 after picking up the next two places on the grid.
Brawn duo Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button were fourth and fifth fastest in qualifying and both can be backed at 14/1 with sportingbet to take the chequered flag first.