Hamilton takes pole for British F1 GP

Briton Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes snatched pole position in the third round of qualifying of the British Formula 1 Grand Prix at a wet Silverstone circuit here on Saturday.

Hamilton, who will start in pole at the British GP for a fifth time, completed his fastest lap in 1:26:600, reports Efe.

"This is definitely the best position to start from (P1). I need to make sure I do it tomorrow for these fans," Hamilton said.

The Mercedes driver was also fastest during the final free practice earlier in the day.

Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari was 0.547 seconds behind the Briton, and would start in second place.

Germany's Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari, current championship leader, came third in Q3 with a time of 1:27:356, followed by Finland's Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes.

Bottas will drop back five grid places on Sunday as a penalty for a premature gearbox change, while Spain's Fernando Alonso of McLaren is set to start from the back due to "power unit element changes," according to F1's official website.

The race will see the drivers battling it out to complete 52 laps of the 5.891 kilometer (3.66 mile) long circuit.

--IANS

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