Hamilton secures pole in Chinese Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton blew away the field and his critics in qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix.

The McLaren star has come under fire this week for his aggressive driving style, but the 23-year-old produced a stunning performance to clinch the 13th pole position of his Formula One career.

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But Hamilton has the red menace directly behind him as Ferrari duo of outgoing world champion Kimi Raikkonen and title rival Felipe Massa start second and third at the Shanghai International Circuit.

It is an excellent result for Hamilton, who leads the title race by 5 points with only this and the Brazilian Grand Prix to go.

Results from Saturday's qualifying for Sunday's Chinese Formula One Grand Prix at the 3.387-mile Shanghai International Circuit:

1. Lewis Hamilton, Britain, McLaren, 1 minute, 36.303 seconds, 15 laps.

2. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Ferrari, 1:36.645, 15.

3. Felipe Massa, Brazil, Ferrari, 1:36.889, 16.

4. Fernando Alonso, Spain, Renault, 1:36.927, 18.

5. Heikki Kovalainen, Finland, McLaren, 1:36.930, 16.

6. Mark Webber, Australia, Red Bull, 1:37.083, 19.

7. Nick Heidfeld, Germany, BMW, 1:37.201, 17.

8. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Toro Rosso, 1:37.685, 16.

9. Jarno Trulli, Italy, Toyota, 1:37.934, 19.

10. Sebastien Bourdais, France, Toro Rosso, 1:38.885, 18.

Eliminated in second qualifying session:

11. Nelson Piquet Jnr., Brazil, Renault, 1:35.722, 12.

12. Robert Kubica, Germany, BMW, 1:35.814, 14.

13. Timo Glock, Germany, Toyota, 1:35.937, 16.

14. Rubens Barrichello, Brazil, Honda, 1:36.079, 15.

15. Nico Rosberg, Germany, Williams, 1:36.210, 15.

Eliminated in first qualifying session:

16. David Coulthard, Britain, Red Bull, 1:36.731, 7.

17. Kazuki Nakajima, Japan, Williams, 1:36.863, 9.

18. Jenson Button, Britain, Honda, 1:37.053, 9.

19. Adrian Sutil, Germany, Force India, 1:37.730, 9.

20. Giancarlo Fisichella, Italy, Force India, 1:37.964, 9.