Hamilton snatches Silverstone pole from Vettel

Lewis Hamilton left it to the last to pip Sebastian Vettel for his record-breaking sixth pole position at the British Grand Prix. The Mercedes man only managed to go quickest on his final flying lap in Q3, with Vettel and Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen qualifying second and third respectively.

Lewis Hamilton left it to the last to pip Sebastian Vettel for pole position for the British Grand Prix. The Mercedes man only managed to go quickest on his final flying lap in Q3, with Vettel and Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen qualifying second and third respectively.

With England gripped by World Cup fever, Hamilton gave the home fans at Silverstone reason to cheer just as the football team kicked off against Sweden, clocking one minute 25.892 seconds - a new lap record at the circuit.

Raikkonen threatened to leapfrog the top two, setting two purple sectors on his final lap, but his middle sector was not good enough, putting him on the second row alongside fellow Finn Bottas.

Vettel had taken treatment on a neck injury during Saturday's practice session and shortly before qualifying, but appeared unfazed as he topped Q1 and went half a tenth quickest on the first runs of Q3.

Hamilton pulled it out the bag when it mattered most, however, and appeared emotional after securing yet another home pole as he goes in search of a sixth win at this race to take the record for his own from Alain Prost and Jim Clark.

The Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo start fifth and sixth after failing to match the pace of their title rivals, with the Ferrari-powered Kevin Magnussen, Romain Grosjean and Charles Leclerc following and Force India's Esteban Ocon rounding off the top 10.

PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION

Q2

Marcus Ericsson was the only Ferrari-powered car not to make the top-10 shootout, going out in Q2 alongside Fernando Alonso, Sergio Perez, Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly.

Q1

Brendon Hartley sat out the session after a scary FP3 crash, and Lance Stroll failed to set a time after beaching his Williams in the gravel at Brooklands. Sergey Sirotkin also dropped out in Q1 with Stoffel Vandoorne also departing as well as a surprising 16th-place finish for Carlos Sainz Jr, who had reached Q3 in each race previously in 2018.