F1: Lewis Hamilton delights in 'sexy lap'

A jubilant Lewis Hamilton revelled in his "sexy lap" after securing pole position for the Bahrain Grand Prix with a record-breaking time.

Having run wide in his first run during Q3, Hamilton came good when it mattered on Saturday, stopping the clock at one minute and 29.493 seconds to climb up from fourth and pip Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg to top spot.

Hamilton's stunning pole-winning lap was the fastest recorded in Sakhir and the reigning world champion showed his delight over team radio, exclaiming: "That was a good lap, a sexy lap!"

In a subsequent news conference, the Briton expressed further joy at putting things together at the crucial moment.

"It's not been a smooth sailing weekend in terms of pace, Nico has been on it all weekend," said Hamilton.

"I was generally struggling to put laps together and luckily the one lap I did put together was the last one.

"The car felt great. It's incredible to think we are quicker than the V10 days. It shows how far the technolology has come."

Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, who had been quickest in final practice, also took satisfaction from claiming third spot on the grid behind the two Mercedes.

"Very happy today," said the German. "There isn't one place on the track where the car doesn't feel right.

"We know we are not yet where we want to be, but step by step we are getting there.

"We will push them [Hamilton and Rosberg] very hard [in the race]."