MONTREAL – Formula One runner-up Lewis Hamilton claimed the pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix on a rainy Saturday afternoon.
Hamilton snagged his fourth pole position in seven races this season with a lap of one minute 12.812 seconds at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The fastest all-time qualifying lap on the circuit is
1:12.275. Ralf Schumacher has held the record since 2004.
It’s the fifth pole position for Hamilton at the Canadian Grand Prix – one shy of record holder Michael Schumacher.
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Hamilton finished just 0.062 seconds ahead of teammate and series leader Nico Rosberg, who’s fastest lap was 1:12.874.
The two Mercedes cars will start at the front of the grid on race day for the third time this season.
Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel will start third (1:12.990) while Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo will be fourth (1:13.166). Teenager Max Verstappen finished fifth (1:13.414).
It was a three-way battle between Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull for much of the qualifying session, as Hamilton, Rosberg, Vettel and Ricciardo traded fastest-lap times.
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Light rain began to fall on the 4.361-kilometre track about 10 minutes into the session.
The red flag came out 28 minutes into qualifying when Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz nicked the wall of champions on turn 14 then accelerated into it, damaging the front of his car.
The session restarted eight minutes later as the rain began to hold off.
McLaren’s Jenson Button, the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix winner, did not make it into the third round of qualifying. He will start 12th on Sunday.
The yellow flag made its first appearance 16 minutes in after Manor Racing’s Rio Haryanto drifted into the wall on turn four, puncturing his right rear tire.
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