Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel have equalized the Senna-Prost record in a number of starts from the front row while Hamilton in Abu Dhabi targets another record which is currently held by Vettel.
Hamilton won the tenth pole position in 2018 F1 season in Brazil and Vettel once again qualified second behind the world champion, making it 34th time in Formula 1 that this duo locked out the front row.
For the first time, Vettel and Hamilton shared the front row in the 2009 Singapore Grand Prix where Hamilton won the third pole in the season and won the race while Vettel finished second behind Hamilton, Glock and Alonso.
Hamilton was then still driving for McLaren and Vettel for Red Bull and they also locked out the front row in the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi. Next season they did it in Canada and Abu Dhabi, in 2011 in Australia, Malaysia, Hungary, Belgium, Italy, Korea and Abu Dhabi and 2012 in Bahrain, Canada, Valencia and Austin.
Hamilton went on to Mercedes in 2013, Vettel to Ferrari in 2015 and after 2018 Brazilian GP they gathered 34 starts from the first row, which equalized the performance of the legendary duo Senna-Prost.
Hamilton in Abu Dhabi targets another record
After knocking Schumacher’s record in the number of pole positions (82 versus 68) and front row starts (131 versus 116), the British driver is likely to break the Vettel record from 2013 in the number of points won in the season.
Vettel collected 397 points in 19 race season with nine wins in the last nine races and Hamilton currently has 383 points after 20 of 21 races.
If Hamilton finishes on the podium, he will have at least 398 points (in case he finishes third) and will be the new owner of this record.
Hamilton would also equalize his 17 podium record from 2016 (21 races in the season) and 17 podiums in 2015 (in 19 races).
Vettel was also 17 times on the podium in 2011, in 19 races, just like Schumacher in 2002 when he finished all 17 races that season on the podium, the first and only time in F1 history that the driver had finished all races on the podium.
