Lewis Hamilton says he felt under control throughout qualifying as he stormed to pole position for Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Hamilton topped each phase of qualifying and eventually beat Mercedes team mate and title rival Nico Rosberg to pole by a comfortable margin of 0.3s. Despite claiming his 12th pole of 2016 -- the most the Briton has achieved in a single season -- championship leader Rosberg was often the faster driver in the first sector, while Hamilton usurped the German in the final two segments.
"I knew I had pace throughout the rest of the lap so I was relatively cautious, well not cautious but I didn't overcook it into Turn 1 so that's really where a little bit of time was to Nico," the three-time world champion explained. "Otherwise the rest of the lap I had under control so I just made sure I maximised those areas.
"This weekend so far I've got the car in a real sweet spot, great work done by my engineers and my faultless mechanics again, they've done a fantastic job. Everyone back at the factory as well, I just want to thank everyone.
"I can't believe I have 61.That's four more to go to try and catch Ayrton [Senna] but it's been a great weekend so far. I wouldn't have the 61 poles I have now without them so a big thank you to them. It's the perfect position for tomorrow."
Hamilton knows he still needs to outscore Rosberg by 12 points to secure his fourth world title. Even if Hamilton wins the race, Rosberg only needs a podium finish to seal his maiden championship.
When asked about how he plans to approach Sunday's race, Hamilton, who has won twice before at Yas Marina in 2011 and 2014, replied: "Well so far this weekend it's just been solely focused on getting in this position, which I truly believed I could and obviously it worked.
"I guess this evening and tomorrow I'll work with my engineers to fully understand the scenario and what I've got to do. I want to get away and win this race."