Rosberg edges Hamilton for Belgian GP pole

World championship leader Nico Rosberg turned the screw to gain another advantage over his rival and Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton today when he secured his fourth straight pole for Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix.
On a day of capricious and treacherous conditions at the majestic 7.004km Spa-Francorchamps circuit in the Ardennes forest, the 29-year-old German produced a meticulous performance that delivered an error-free and fastest lap to claim his seventh pole this year and the 11th of his career.
He clocked a best lap of two minutes and 5.698 seconds to outpace Hamilton by two-tenths of a second.
Behind the two Mercedes, defending four time champion Sebastian Vettel was third fastest for Red Bull ahead of two-time former champion Fernando Alonso of Ferrari and fifth placed Daniel Ricciardo, winner in Hungary a month ago, in the second Red Bull.

Valtteri Bottas was sixth in the leading Williams ahead of Danish rookie Kevin Magnussen of McLaren, Kimi Raikkonen in the second Ferrari, Felipe Massa in the second Williams and Jenson Button in the second McLaren.
Hamilton struggled with his brakes and handling in the slippery conditions, but will start alongside Rosberg on the front row as he seeks to trim his 11 points lead in the drivers' championship with eight races remaining.

It was the Mercedes team's first front row lockout since the Canadian Grand Prix in June, five races previously. For Rosberg, it also brought his first top three qualifying result in Belgium in eight attempts as he seeks to land his first podium finish at the venue.

"It is awesome to achieve this at this track," said Rosberg.
"This is one of the most special tracks of the year. It was not quite as difficult out there as some other occasions because the conditions were pretty much always consistent for intermediates."
Asked where he felt he had found an advantage over Hamilton, he said: "In Eau Rouge, I was feeling good through it, really going for it -- and maybe that is where I made my time.