Hamilton 'not invincible' in the wet

Lewis Hamilton dismissed a suggestion that he is "invincible" in wet conditions after once again getting the better of Formula 1 title rival Sebastian Vettel on a damp track to secure pole position in a crazy qualifying session for the Belgian Grand Prix.

Ferrari had set the pace on Friday and Saturday, right up until a downpour right at the start of the top-10 shootout.

Provisional pole changed hands several times, but Hamilton emerged with a 78th career Saturday success, with Vettel eight tenths further back and Force India's Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez locking out the second row.

Hamilton trumped Vettel in the wet in both Germany and Hungary before the summer break, with that service resumed in Spa, but Hamilton says he has not been reduced to needing help from the weather to beat the Scuderia.

"It was one of the toughest qualifying sessions I can remember," Hamilton said.

"We were very close, I was hopeful, Ferrari were very quick on the straights, then the rain came and I can't stress how difficult it was.

That fifth #BelgianGP pole mood...

No other @F1 driver can match @LewisHamilton’s record of five poles around Spa! pic.twitter.com/vcWTUtgs55 — Mercedes-AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) August 25, 2018

"The track looked dry in some places, but it was actually wet. It was so hard, I went off twice, but so glad I managed to keep it together. Everyone is on the edge of their seats."

Asked if he felt "invincible" in the wet, Hamilton replied: "Definitely not.

"I love driving in the wet. I didn't want it to rain, I was looking forward to it being close in the dry.

"Ferrari had the upper hand but I thought maybe I had enough to get ahead of them, which is an exciting prospect."