Hamilton takes pole position at Shanghai

McLaren's championship leader Lewis Hamilton takes pole position on Saturday that can make him F1's first rookie champion.

McLaren's championship leader Lewis Hamilton took pole position on Saturday for a Chinese Grand Prix that could make him Formula One's first rookie champion.

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The 22-year-old Briton will line up alongside Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen on the front row for Sunday's race.

Double world champion and McLaren teammate Fernando Alonso, 12 points behind Hamilton with just two races remaining, qualified fourth with Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa ahead of him in third.

"Thanks a lot guys, mega job. The car was fantastic," Hamilton said on the team radio after setting his best lap of the weekend in the dying seconds of the session.