Hamilton hails 'amazing' result

The McLaren driver continued with his sensational Formula One debut by qualifying in second place behind pole-setter Felipe Massa, outqualifying world champion teammate Fernando Alonso for the first time.

"Coming here after two good races, and to go into my third race in F1 and to get a front row is amazing," admitted Hamilton, who finished third in his maiden Grand Prix and second in Malaysia last weekend.

"To be honest it (my lap) wasn't that great. I think earlier on in the session I definitely had better laps, it was tough. Qualifying is intense and you need to pull out everything for that last lap.

"In the first sector I lost a little bit of time at Turn 1, Turn 13 was a bit hectic and with the wind here it is always changing, getting cross winds and tail winds, so putting the car on the limit is quite difficult. I am looking forward to the race tomorrow."

Hamilton, who tomorrow could become the first driver in Formula One history to finish his first three Grands Prix on the podium, said he is relaxed for the race.

"I feel quite relaxed about it," he said. "It feels natural, it feels extremely happy to be where I am, to now finally be here and performing quite well I am happy with myself and the team.

"It is going to be tough tomorrow. The first corner here is quite tricky but we will see."