Hamilton wins maiden Monaco pole for Mercedes

Defending world champion and current series leader Lewis Hamilton secured his maiden pole position at the Monaco Grand Prix when he topped Saturday’s qualifying times ahead of Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg. It was the 30-year-old Briton’s first success on the streets of his favourite circuit and came at the ninth attempt as he outpaced Rosberg in a tight contest to claim the 43rd pole of his career.

“It has been a long, long time,” said Hamilton. “I can’t express to you how happy I am. It was not the easiest session. 

There were a lot of things that throw you off your rhythm and I did not have that rhythm until the last couple of laps. “I am very, very happy. This track is so hard. It is difficult to express how difficult it is. In our session we had some problem with tyres and traffic, it was not easy so it makes it even more special.