But he and his team are right back on form and, after an hour-long session which started in daylight but finished under a setting sun with the floodlights on, the 24-year-old landed his 17th career pole in 52 races with a lap almost 0.7 seconds quicker than second-placed Vettel.

BBC: Superb Hamilton storms to pole

They sat in the dirt of their mud-brick compound and read letters out loud to each other under a setting sun.

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