Lewis Hamilton has taken pole ahead of Sundays Monaco Grand Prix ending the hopes of his team-mate Nico Rosberg of claiming a hat-trick of poles at the circuit.
The world champion took pole in overcast conditions on the streets of the principality. His team-mate threw away his final lap after he locked up the front wheels at the start of his final lap forcing him to abandon his lap.
Hamilton said “I can’t explain how happy I am. It was a difficult session. A lot of things threw me off my rhythm and I did not have one until the last two laps. It is difficult to express how difficult this track is.”
Both McLaren drivers managed to get out of the first session with Fernando Alonso fifteenth and Jenson Button twelfth. Williams driver Valtteri Bottas failed to make it into Q2 blaming a lack of grip.
Max Verstappen qualified tenth fastest on his first race in Monaco. However he will start ninth after his team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr, was told to start from the pit lane after he was given a penalty for failing to stop at the weigh bridge.
Lotus’s Romain Grosjean qualified in eleventh place but will start sixteenth after he was forced to change his gear box. It was a difficult day for Williams who lost Valtteri Bottas in Q1 and Felipe Massa in Q2.
