By JOSEPH WILSON
MONTMELÓ, Spain (AP) — Lewis Hamilton won his 100th career pole position after barely edging Max Verstappen to the fastest time in qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix on Saturday.
Hamilton pushed his Mercedes to a flying lap of 1 minute, 16.74 seconds. Verstappen in his Red Bull was only 0.03 seconds behind.
“Great job! That was hard work,” Hamilton told his team over the radio after shouting out to celebrate hitting the century mark.
Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas was right behind in third.
Hamilton leads the Formula One standings by eight points over Verstappen going into the fourth race of the season.
Hamilton has won the Spanish GP five times, including each of the past four years. On Sunday, he will be looking to equal Michael Schumacher’s six wins in Montmeló and claim his 98th career victory.
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