British Grand Prix: Hamilton pulls off another last-gasp steal to deny Rosberg pole position
Lewis Hamilton pulled off another last-gasp steal to deny Nico Rosberg pole position at the British Grand Prix on Saturday.
Having seen his first quick lap of Q3 deleted for breaching track limits, Hamilton crossed the line with 10 seconds of the session remaining to go three tenths faster than his Mercedes team-mate, much to the delight of the home crowd.
Hamilton last weekend snatched victory from under the nose of Rosberg at the Austrian Grand Prix after the pair came together on the final lap.
Rosberg will have to bounce back from second on the grid, with the German starting ahead of Red Bull duo Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo, while Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen is fifth.
Sebastian Vettel qualified sixth but will start from 11th following a gearbox change.
The field was a car light heading into Q1 following Marcus Ericsson’s heavy crash during final practice, which forced the Swede to head to hospital for a check-up – Sauber later confirmed he had been given a clean bill of health.
Team-mate Felipe Nasr was unable to lift the mood as he qualified slowest of the remaining drivers, while Jenson Button’s elimination at the end of the first session was shrouded in confusion.
Having disappointingly gone 17th fastest, Button headed for his post-qualifying interviews but was soon seen sprinting back down the pit lane and getting back into his car.
Stewards had stressed the importance of sticking to track limits prior to qualifying and McLaren felt Button may have had a reprieve for a breach by Renault’s Kevin Magnussen.
It was not to be for Button at his home grand prix, though, but Hamilton ensured the thousands of Brits who lined the Silverstone track were not downhearted for too long by setting the fastest lap of the current layout in Q2, crossing the line in one minute and 29.243 seconds.
Raikkonen left it late to make it into Q3 after spinning on the final turn of his out lap, but it was Hamilton who pulled off the most impressive late show of the day as he nailed his final opportunity to oust Rosberg from pole.
PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION:
1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1:29.287
2. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) +0.319secs
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +1.026s
4. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) +1.331s
5. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) +1.594s
6. Valtteri Bottas (Williams) +2.270s
7. Nico Hulkenberg (Force India) +2.633s
8. Carlos Sainz (Toro Rosso) +2.702s
9. Fernando Alonso (McLaren) +3.056s
10. Sergio Perez (Force India)
