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World champion Lewis Hamilton has secured pole position in Formula 1 for the 100th time.

The 36-year-old Mercedes driver drove the fastest time in the qualification in 1: 16.741 minutes in Barcelona on Saturday and will start the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday (3 p.m. / RTL and Sky) from first place on the grid.

Hamilton has long been the record holder in this category.

Michael Schumacher follows in the ranking list in second place with 68 first starting positions.

Behind world championship leader Hamilton, challenger Max Verstappen drove in the Red Bull, 0.036 seconds behind, in second place.

Valtteri Bottas in the second Mercedes was third.

Former world champion Sebastian Vettel again had little reason to cheer: He only managed 13th place in the Aston Martin. For newcomer Mick Schumacher, 18th place in the inferior Haas racing car was a minor success.

The 22-year-old left both Nicholas Latifi at the Williams and his teammate Nikita Masepin behind.

Lewis Hamilton once again left the competition behind

Credit: AFP / JAVIER SORIANO

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Before the fourth round of the season, Hamilton leads the overall standings with 69 points, ahead of Verstappen (61) and Briton Lando Norris from McLaren (37).

Vettel and Schumacher are still without World Cup points.

Despite travel restrictions to Istanbul

Even if the focus is currently on the race on this Sunday, Formula 1 is already looking ahead - and with concern. Despite impending problems due to tougher travel regulations in Great Britain, the staging of the race planned for June in Istanbul is to be retained. “We want to keep the Grand Prix calendar, not change the schedule and not necessarily postpone races. But we don't yet know exactly how to do that, ”said Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali to Sky TV on Saturday.

According to the Italian, the racing series is not yet concerned with a specific postponement of the event scheduled for June 13 to another location. The background to this is that the British Transport Minister Grant Shapps announced on Friday that Turkey would be placed on the so-called red list. Anyone entering Great Britain from such countries will have to go into hotel quarantine for ten days at their own expense. This would have far-reaching consequences for a large number of the Formula 1 racing teams, since they are based in England. Mercedes, Aston Martin, Red Bull, Williams or McLaren, among others, would be affected.

In Istanbul it is planned to run again after the route on the Bosporus had already taken over as a substitute organizer in November 2020. This year the Grand Prix in Turkey is supposed to replace the Canadian race in Montreal. Due to the pandemic, an event is not possible there for the second time in a row. Despite some difficulties, Formula 1 is still willing to pull through the record season with 23 planned races. At the classic in Monaco, 7500 spectators are allowed in two weeks.