RED Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo qualified fifth fastest for Formula One’s French Grand Prix, behind pole sitter Lewis Hamilton and his own teammate Max Verstappen.

Hamilton produced a 1 minute 30.029 seconds lap and secured a record-extending 75th pole position to start alongside Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas on the grid for Sunday’s race.

Championship leader Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari will start the race from third, followed by Red Bull pair Verstappen and Ricciardo.

Charles Leclerc, 20, continued his impressive debut season by making the final shoot-out for the first time. He will start his Sauber in eighth There was more gloom at McLaren, with last weekend’s Le Mans 24 Hours winner and double world champion Fernando Alonso managing only the 16th best time. His Belgian team mate Stoffel Vandoorne was 18th.

F1 is returning to France for the first time in a decade and the Paul Ricard track is hosting its first elite race since 1990.

“It feels great to be back in France. It’s such a beautiful place. I got a great response from the crowd and I’m delighted to be here for the first time,”

Hamilton, who called his run “impeccable”, said.

“We have all pulled together and done a great job in putting the car where we need it, for both Valtteri and I.

“You can see how close it is between us all. It’s really, really great to have this result, and a one-two.”

Defending champion Hamilton, who also topped both practice sessions on Friday, and teammate Bottas benefited from an engine upgrade that Mercedes had failed to roll out in the last round when Hamilton lost the lead to Vettel. Hamilton trails Vettel, 121, by one point at the top of the standings heading into the race at the Paul Ricard Circuit.

Bottas is third on 86, with Ricciardo fourth on 84 and Kimi Raikkonen fifth as the battle for supremacy among the drivers hits fever pitch. It was the third pole of the season for the 33-year-old Hamilton.

FRENCH GP QUALIFYING RESULT

Driver — Team

1) Lewis Hamilton — Mercedes

2) Valtteri Bottas — Mercedes

3) Sebastian Vettel — Ferrari

4) Max Verstappen — Red Bull

5) Daniel Ricciardo — Red Bull

6) Kimi Raikkonen — Ferrari

7) Carlos Sainz — Renault

8) Charles Leclerc — Sauber

9) Kevin Magnussen — Haas

10) Romain Grosjean — Haas

Out in Q2

11) Esteban Ocon — Force India

12) Nico Hulkenberg — Renault

13) Sergio Perez — Force India

14) Pierre Gasly — Toro Rosso

15) Marcus Ericsson — Sauber

Out in Q1

16) Fernando Alonso — McLaren

17) Brendon Hartley — Toro Rosso

18) Stoffel Vandoorne — McLaren

19) Sergey Sirotkin — Williams

20) Lance Stroll — Williams