F1: ‘Special’ pole position for Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton: Took 44th pole position. Picture: AP

The reigning world champion beat team-mate Nico Rosberg to the top of the timesheet as the team collected yet another one-two.

Kimi Raikkonen will start third for Ferrari, who would have wanted to be closer to the dominant Mercedes having brought an improved power unit to Montreal.

Hamilton, who lost the lead late on in Monaco two weeks ago when both Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel passed him after a call to pit under the safety car, had said he could not care less” about that incident and wants to return to winning ways this time.

Despite a small crash in Friday’s wet practice session, the 30-year-old was untouchable when it mattered, taking the 44th pole position of his career in the place where he stormed to his first. Hamilton’s pole lap was his first of the final session, with Rosberg unable to get within three-tenths of a second of his team-mate’s time of one minute 14.393 seconds. The German showed his frustration over the team radio as he bemoaned a “rubbish end to qualifying”.

Hamilton was visibly delighted with taking a sixth pole in seven races this season. “I feel amazing today,” he said. “It wasn’t the easiest of days, P3 was tough and I didn’t get many laps. I was going into qualifying a bit blind with the set-up.

“I won my first grand prix here in 2007 and that was incredibly special. To get a pole here and for it to be my 44th in very, very special.”

Rosberg quantified his radio message after qualifying but hoping he can get past Hamilton during the race today. “That was the best way to sum it up,” he said of his comments. “I was really on a roll but in the end it just didn’t come together at all. It didn’t work out and we need to analyse now why that was. Fair play to Lewis and the race is tomorrow. Here there are good chances to overtake, so it isn’t over yet.

“I had a bad qualifying and we are still second on the grid. That still gives me hope. It is a long and difficult race, it is all to play for tomorrow but I’m disappointed with today.”

Raikkonen was the best of the rest and he will be joined on the second row by fellow Finn Valtteri Bottas after he jumped his Williams ahead of the Lotus late in the session.

Despite missing out on the second row, Lotus enjoyed an impressive qualifying display and Romain Grosjean was rewarded by taking fifth place, with team-mate Pastor Maldonado just a place further back in sixth.

Three big names fell in the early parts of qualifying, although technically Jenson Button did not have a chance after his McLaren rolled to a stop in free practice – leading to the him sitting out the session.

Sebastian Vettel could only manage the 16th fastest time after an issue with his Ferrari engine restricted him to two flying laps at the very end of the 18 minutes - whilst the Williams of Felipe Massa was another surprise casualty in Q1 due to his own power unit problems.