Audio By Carbonatix
Lewis Hamilton took his seventh pole position in nine races this season at the first Tuscan Grand Prix.
The world champion beat Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas by just 0.059 seconds on Formula 1's first competitive experience of the spectacular Mugello circuit.
Red Bull locked out the second row, Max Verstappen ahead of Alex Albon.
And Charles Leclerc gave Ferrari something to celebrate at their 1,000th grand prix with fifth place.
Hamilton does it when it matters
Bottas had topped all three practice sessions and Hamilton looked to be on the back foot heading into qualifying.
But Hamilton was quickest in the second session by 0.013secs and he extended his margin on the first laps of the top-10 shootout.
Hamilton did not improve on his final lap, and Bottas' hopes of doing so were dashed when Renault's Esteban Ocon had a spin and brought out yellow flags.
Hamilton said: "It has been really close this weekend. This is a really challenging circuit and Valtteri was quicker than me all day yesterday and this morning and even in Q1.
"I have been working really hard in the background to improve on my lines and set-up and I finally got the lap I needed.
"At the end, I think the wind picked up and I wasn't able to go any quicker. But I got the job done.
"It's crazy. You go through Turns Six, Seven, Eight and Nine at 180mph and the G-force is insane."
Bottas said he felt the Ocon incident had cost him his first pole position since the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone last month.
The Finn said: "I still had more and I was waiting for the time to get it right but I didn't get the opportunity. For sure it's disappointing."
Verstappen's margin in the Red Bull was the smallest it has been to pole position all year.
"I didn't expect to fight in qualifying but this weekend it has looked very promising," he said. "To be third we can be very happy with that."
Latest Stories
-
International Day for PwDs: The unbroken spirit of a 16-year-old disabled visual artist
18 minutes -
Bryan Acheampong salutes farmers, outlines vision for resilient agricultural sector
19 minutes -
Wa West Agric Director calls for stronger gov’t support after difficult farming year
1 hour -
‘Agriculture isn’t only for village folks’ — President Mahama pushes professionals to take up farming
1 hour -
82-year-old man emerges overall National Best farmer for 2025
1 hour -
Calls grow for stronger oversight as free trade and lax regulation fuel fake medicines
2 hours -
World Cup 2026: Tuchel keeps group stage opponents under wraps, shuns Ghana
2 hours -
Volta Region received a significant share of Big Push road projects – Mahama
2 hours -
Togbe Afede XIV lauds government’s $10bn ‘big push’ programme for boosting farm produce transport
3 hours -
FDA urges consumers to prioritise safety when purchasing products during festive season
3 hours -
President Mahama calls for single-digit interest rates on agricultural loans
3 hours -
President Mahama urges Ghanaians in formal jobs to take up farming
4 hours -
Farming interventions paying off, lifting incomes and food security, says Agric minister
4 hours -
Gov’t pledges science-backed interventions in agriculture, says Agric minister
4 hours -
Ghana unveils $3.4bn plan to accelerate national clean energy transition
4 hours
