Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton has dominated the wet conditions to see off Max Verstappen and take pole position for the Styrian Grand Prix.

Even before Saturday’s rain-hit delayed qualifying session, the six-time world champion had long staked his claim as one of the sport’s finest to ever race in the wet – and here he delivered an absolute masterclass.

Hamilton finished a staggering 1.2 seconds faster than Verstappen, with McLaren’s Carlos Sainz third. Valtteri Bottas, in the same machinery as Hamilton, was 1.5 sec behind his team-mate in fourth.

Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo recovered from his heavy shunt in his Renault on Friday to finish ninth on the grid.

Hamilton, who earlier urged his race engineer Pete Bonnington to “leave him to it” over the team radio, topped all three sessions before claiming the 89th pole of his career.

As his rivals faltered, Hamilton banged in fastest lap after fastest lap on his way to completing one of the most impressive qualifying performances in recent memory.

“I love these days,” said Hamilton. “The weather is incredibly difficult for all of us. A lot of the time you cannot see where you are going.

“I had a big moment where I aquaplaned and had my heart in my mouth but I was able to improve. I didn’t make any mistakes so that is always a positive.”

Verstappen, who spun at the final corner on his last lap, said: “Second is still good. It was just tricky out there. The last lap was better but it wouldn’t have been enough to beat Lewis.”