Lewis Hamilton (4/11 favourite to win the race on Totesport Formula 1 coupon) has claimed his McLaren has not felt better all season as he cruised to pole position at the Abu Dhabi grand prix.

The former world champion was 0.7 seconds quicker than Sebastian Vettel (5/1 second favourite to win on race coupon), who is battling to secure second place in the drivers title with Brawn GP’s Rubens Barrichello (14/1 for victory on coupon), who will start the season-ending grand prix in fourth place.

Vettel’s Red Bull teammate Mark Webber will sandwich the rivals, with newly-crowned world champion Jenson Button qualifying in fifth spot (Webber 8/1, Button 14/1 to win the grand prix on coupon).

Hamilton, who starts on pole for the first time since the Monaco grand prix in May, said he hopes to put on a great show for the fans during the race, adding the Abu Dhabi Yas Marina circuit is “stunning”.

“It’s never easy, but it was definitely as fun as it looked,” said the Englishman.

“The car is the best it has been all year. It was a smooth lap, and it just kept getting better and better,”

It was recently rumoured that Hamilton and Button could be lining up together next season at McLaren, however it remains a doubt that the new world champion will be leaving Brawn GP as the team looks to tie him down to a new contract.