Formula One: Hamilton bounces back with pole

Mclaren dominate qualifying for today’s Italian GP.

MONZA:

Lewis Hamilton scorched to his fourth pole this year and the 23rd of his career when he outpaced all his rivals, as McLaren dominated qualifying for today’s Italian Grand Prix.

The 27-year-old Briton pushed all the speculation over his future aside as he clocked a best lap of one minute and 24.010 seconds to set the pace, before McLaren teammate and compatriot Jenson Button joined him on the front in the closing seconds.

Button's late flying lap ensured McLaren of their first front row since dominating the opening two races of the season in Australia and Malaysia. For Hamilton, it is his second pole at Monza for a race that he has never won.

Brazilian Felipe Massa, strongly assisted by Ferrari teammate Spaniard Fernando Alonso, was third fastest ahead of Briton Paul Di Resta of Force India, who will start from ninth because of a penalty following a gearbox change.

Michael Schumacher qualified fifth for Mercedes, the 43-year-old seven-time champion showing no sign, like Hamilton, of being distracted by mounting speculation about their futures.

Defending champion and fellow-German Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull took sixth place in his Red Bull.

"No massive surprise with our position, that's roughly where we thought we would be and where we ended up," said Webber. "We have still got a lot of work to do. I was pretty happy with my lap and my performance."

Published in The Express Tribune, September 9^th, 2012.