Max Verstappen beat Hamilton to a crucial pole for their winner-takes-all title showdown by n🍨early 0.371s, with a tow💞 from Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez providing him with a key boost on the straights. 

Hamilton was the lead Mercedes driver in both Q3 runs and therefore did not benefitও from a slipstream behind teammate Val🃏tteri Bottas. 

And Hamilton confirmed such tactics wer𓆏e never part of the 𝐆plan for Mercedes. 

"No, it wasn’t discussed,” Hamilton said when asked if Mercedes had considered carrying🐈 off a similar strategy. “We’ve never ever really done that.🐎” 

"I mean I’d like Valtteri to𝕴 focus on his [lap], we work as a team,” he added. 

“Valtteri needed to get the best job done for himself to have both of us as high up ꧋as possible, it’s not ⭕something we discuss or work on and I don’t believe we should have either.” 

Despite being beaten to pole by Verstappen and starting Sunday’s title-deciding race on harder tyres than his main rival, Hamilton believes he is still in good position to f⛄ight for the win and ultimately the championship. 

“We just couldn’t answer to that lap, that w🧸as a fantastic lap from him,” Hamilton conceded. “But we’re in a good position, I’d like to think, with our tyres for tomorrow and I hope that we can have🙈 a good race.

“You saw the first lap, I dropped a little bit of time in turn five. But the 💯last lap was♔ nice and clean, I just couldn’t go any quicker.

“I don’t know if it’s tyre prep, in terms of the out-lap but nonetheless, I couldn’t beat🔯 that time that he did today, he fully deserved the pole.

“I’m still on the front𓃲 row, we’ve got the difference between the tyres and I’m grateful I can see where he is. And then we can try and navigate from there.”