F1: Hamilton claims pole in season opener, as new qualification format criticised

Lewis Hamilton was the fastest qualifier at the curtain-raising Melbourne Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver produced an incredible lap to finish 0.360 seconds fast than his teammate, Nico Rosberg, claiming his 50th pole position in the process. But the attention afterwards was as much on the new qualification format as the performance of the world champion. The track was empty for the final five minutes, as a number of drivers stopped running in order to save tyres for tomorrow’s race.