The switch to ground-effect cars last year heralded a lean period for Hamilton and Mercedes, with the seven-time world champion going without a win since 2021 and having to wait 33 races before qualifying on pole again.
Having ended Friday's practice session with his car feeling "at its worst", Hamilton topped FP3 on Saturday morning before going on to beat Max Verstappen by 0.003 seconds on his final lap of Q3 to claim his 104th career pole.
