Hamilton Starts Monaco GP In Pole Position

Lewis Hamilton will start the Monaco GP on pole for the first time in his career after denying team-mate Nico Rosberg a pole position hat-trick for F1's most famous race.

Hamilton, who had never previously set the pace in Monaco qualifying and been beaten by the sister Mercedes in each of the last two seasons, looked set to be denied again in 2015 as Rosberg turned the tables from Thursday practice by setting an impressive pace around the twisty street circuit in Q1 and Q2.

Struggling with tyre temperatures on the supersoft compound, Hamilton appeared to give both himself and his mechanics a pep talk over the radio by saying "calm down and reset".

The words seemed to have the desired effect as come Q3 it was Hamilton who was suddenly setting the pace again as he threaded his W06 between the barriers, producing two lap times which would have been good enough for that hitherto elusive Monaco pole.

His final 1:15.098 time beat the ultimately error-strewn Rosberg by over 0.3s and puts him in the perfect place from which to control Sunday’s 78-lap race from the front.

"It has been a long old time and I can't express to you just how happy I am," Hamilton said. "It wasn't the easiest session, I had a lot of things that could throw you off the rhythm and I didn't have my rhythm until the last two laps. This is incredibly special for me and for my guys who have worked so hard this weekend."

Rosberg, in contrast, struggled the longer qualifying went on. Although a big lock-up and off-course moment into Sainte Devote on his second run in Q2 ultimately proved harmless, another puff of tyre smoke into the first corner at the end of Q3 was far more costly and meant the German had to abort his final attempt to beat Hamilton.

"Probably a bit the opposite to Lewis where I had a good rhythm to start qualifying, which I didn't have all weekend and then I just lost touch a little bit towards the end going for it," Rosberg admitted. "I know Lewis is going to be quick so I needed to go for it and it didn't work out."

Despite his late errors, Rosberg remained on the front-row after Ferrari’s challenge to Mercedes didn't materialise over a single-lap again, despite Sebastian Vettel flying in final practice.

The German driver, who also backed out of his final lap, finished 0.7s down on Hamilton in third and at the start today will have his former team-mate Daniel Ricciardo for company as Red Bull delivered by far the most competitive performance of their disappointing season so far.

With the Monaco circuit placing more of an emphasis on driveability and handling than outright power, the Renault-engined cars have run around the top six all weekend and the under-pressure Daniil Kvyat backed up Ricciardo’s effort with a fine fifth place.

The Red Bull duo relegated Kimi Raikkonen to sixth place in the second Ferrari, the Finn still unable to find a breakthrough in single-lap pace. He finished just ahead of Force India’s Sergio Perez, who produced one of the best performances of the day to qualify seventh.