Lewis Hamilton edges Rosberg to take pole position in Bahrain GP

Lewis Hamilton claimed pole position on Saturday for the Bahrain Grand Prix, edging his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg by just eight hundredths of a second.

Lewis Hamilton claimed pole position on Saturday for the Bahrain Grand Prix, edging his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg by just eight hundredths of a second.

Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team's British driver Lewis Hamilton drives during the third practice session. (AFP Photo)

Hamilton made a mistake on the final corner during his first flying lap of the Q3 qualifying segment, leaving him fourth, but was close to perfect in his second lap to make it back-to-back poles to start the Formula One season.

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel qualified third, ahead of his teammate Kimi Raikkonen.

The rolling elimination qualifying system again produced a dearth of on-track action. The format will be reviewed on Sunday in a meeting between the FIA — the sport’s governing body — commercial chief Bernie Ecclestone, team principals and tire supplier Pirelli.

Any change to rules during a season requires unanimous agreement between teams.