At the top of his game and hungrier than ever for a fourth world title, Lewis Hamilton had gone into qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix focused entirely on his championship battle with Sebastian Vettel. By the time he had taken pole, the driver who is unafraid to indulge his emotions allowed the grand plan to take a back seat as he revelled in an exceptional moment. His 68th pole position at his 200th grand prix, equalling Michael Schumacher’s record of the most achieved in Formula One.

The British driver, on a run of remarkable success with Mercedes that has included two titles, did so with a lap the seven-times world champion would have recognised as worthy of matching his total. Schumacher took his first F1 win at Spa in 1992 and his family sent their congratulations to Hamilton.

Spa rewards drivers willing to attack but who temper their aggression with inch-perfect accuracy, its sweeping fast corners and elevation changes beloved of those who master it. Hamilton adores it and proved once again in emphatic fashion he had its measure.

“It is definitely a special day,” he said. “I remember coming here in 1996 for my first grand prix and watching Michael come out of turn one, and the vibration of the engine shook my rib cage. It was incredible. That is when my love for the sport took another step.

“To think I have equalled him on poles is very surreal and a humbling experience, knowing Michael is such a legend. It is a very special feat he achieved and I feel very proud to be up there with him.”

Quickest in Q1, Hamilton’s pace was ominous early in the second session. Mercedes always have more to give in qualifying and – as at Silverstone – on the high-speed fast cornering circuits still enjoy an advantage over Ferrari. During Q2 Hamilton topped the time sheets despite going wide at Stavelot on his first run. He then promptly put in a clean lap and remained on top, only to reinforce his dominance in Q3.

His final lap was breathtaking, nailed to perfection and extracted everything from the additional aero, grip and pace of this season’s cars. Almost flat through Pouhon, his time of 1min 42.553sec smashed the track record of 1.44.503 set by Jarno Trulli in 2009. With the throttle fully open for 67% of the lap, he averaged 153mph to take pole.

Vettel, who leads Hamilton by 14 points in the world championship, did well to manage second, two-tenths back, although that gap may flatter his pace as he was given a tow on his final hot lap by team-mate Kimi Raikkonen. Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate, Valtteri Bottas, was in third place, with Raikkonen fourth.

Ferrari announced they had renewed Vettel’s contract for a further three years shortly before qualifying, ending speculation of a move to Mercedes. Hamilton said earlier in the week that Vettel would not want to be his team-mate, although Niki Lauda, the Mercedes non-executive director, did admit he personally had discussions with Vettel.

Ferrari had been comprehensively outpaced at Silverstone, a similar high-speed track to Spa, towards which the Mercedes has been designed for optimal performance. How much of an improvement the Scuderia have made since then will be clearer on Sunday. They have a revised aerodynamic and suspension package and Vettel remained optimistic they have made steps towards closing the gap.

Equally, with the majority of remaining races favouring the strengths of Mercedes, Spa will be an indictor of how strong Ferrari’s run-in will prove. Their qualifying suggests they have made solid advances but Hamilton – on the form he showed – is going to prove very hard to catch. His focus will doubtless return to the business at hand – ensuring the win and closing the gap to Vettel in the title fight – but on Saturday afternoon he was still enjoying that special moment.

“I have always had fond memories of Michael,” he said. “In Abu Dhabi, just before he left, I plucked up the courage to ask him if he would swap helmets with me and he was welcoming and did. That is definitely one of the coolest things I have in my house.”

He is also confident more is to come. “When I came across the line, it was a moment to reflect on my team who did such a great job to give me the car of my dreams,” he said. “I plan to continue to propel this car and this team forward and I believe we can get many more poles. The sky is the limit really.”

Pirelli have brought the ultrasoft rubber here on which the leaders will start the race. It is the first time the softest compound has been used in Spa, as part of the manufacturer’s stated intent to offer more aggressive rubber for the second half of the season although a one-stop race remains the expected preferred strategy.

The Red Bull’s of Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo were in fifth and sixth. Britain’s Jolyon Palmer, who had been enjoying a strong weekend, suffered a clutch failure in Q2 but was able to continue and managed Q3 for the second time this season, before a gearbox problem ended his participation and he finished in 10th place. He potentially faces a grid penalty and his Renault team-mate Nico Hülkenberg, was in seventh.

The Force India’s of Sergio Pérez and Esteban Ocon were in eighth and ninth place respectively.

McLaren’s troublesome engine continued to disappoint the team. Stoffel Vandoorne had already taken a 35-place grid penalty to fit an upgraded power unit. He took a further five places for a subsequent gearbox change and on Saturday morning the team discovered a new engine problem and decided to replace it altogether. He finished in 15th but will start at the back of the grid with a 65-place penalty. His team-mate Fernando Alonso finished in 11th frustrated at losing power on his final quick run in Q2.

Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen in the Haas were in 12th and 13th and Carlos Sainz in the Toro Rosso in 14th.

Williams had a poor afternoon. Felipe Massa finished in 16th place but will take a five-place grid penalty for not slowing for yellow flags in final practice and his team-mate Lance Stroll could manage only 18th. The Toro Rosso of Daniil Kvyat was in 17th and the Sauber’s of Marcus Ericsson and Pascal Wehrlein were in 19th and 20th.