McLaren at the 2012 Formula 1 Malaysian Grand Prix

McLaren at the 2012 Formula 1 Malaysian Grand Prix

McLaren has repeated its qualifying efforts of last week’s Australian Grand Prix by securing the top two positions on the grid for tomorrow’s Grand Prix in Malaysia, the second race on the 2012 FIA Formula 1 calendar.

Fastest today after qualifying was Lewis Hamilton who posted a best time of 1:36.219, and his teammate, Jenson Button, wasn’t far behind, managing a best time of 1:36.368.

Rounding out the top three spots on the grid and confirming that his recent return to form is far from fleeting is none other than seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, who took his Mercedes AMG around the Sepang International Circuit in just 1:36.391.

Fourth fastest on the day was Red Bull Racing’s Mark Webber, followed by Lotus’ Kimi Raikkonen who was fifth fastest. Starting at sixth on the grid tomorrow will be current world champ Sebastian Vettel.

Sadly, neither of the Ferrari drivers was able to lay down any competitive times. The fastest was Fernando Alonso, who will start at ninth on the grid tomorrow, while his teammate, Felipe Massa, will start at 12th.

Going into tomorrow’s race, Jenson Button is in the lead for the world championship after gaining 25 points for his win in Australia. Sebastian Vettel is in second place with 18 points, followed by Lewis Hamilton in third with 15. McLaren heads the constructors’ points tally with 40 to Red Bull’s 30 and Sauber’s 12.

Below are the full results from qualifying today, and remember to come back for our weather forecast later today and full race results on Monday.

1) Lewis Hamilton - McLaren 1:36.219
2) Jenson Button - McLaren 1:36.368
3) Michael Schumacher - Mercedes 1:36.391
4) Mark Webber - Red Bull Racing 1:36.461
5) Kimi Raikkonen - Lotus 1:36.461
6) Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull Racing 1:36.634
7) Romain Grosjean - Lotus 1:36.658
8) Nico Rosberg - Mercedes 1:36.664
9) Fernando Alonso - Ferrari 1:37.566
10) Sergio Perez - Sauber 1:37.698
11) Pastor Maldonado - Williams 1:37.589    
12) Felipe Massa - Ferrari 1:37.731
13) Bruno Senna - Williams 1:37.841
14) Paul di Resta - Force India 1:37.877
15) Daniel Ricciardo - STR 1:37.883
16) Nico Hulkenberg - Force India 1:37.890
17) Kamui Kobayashi - Sauber 1:38.069
18) Jean-Eric Vergne - STR 1:39.077
19) Heikki Kovalainen - Caterham 1:39.306
20 ) Vitaly Petrov - Caterham 1:39.567
21) Timo Glock - Marussia 1:40.903
22) Charles Pic - Marussia 1:41.250
23) Pedro de la Rosa - HRT 1:42.914
24) Narain Karthikeyan - HRT 1:43.655