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British GP 2017 Qualifying: Lewis Hamilton storms to pole position

Hamilton keeps pole after investigation; Vettel only third; Bottas to start from ninth; Vandoorne out-qualifies Alonso for first time

Lewis Hamilton earned a standing ovation from his adoring Silverstone crowd after storming to a dominant pole position at the British GP.

Hamilton's scintillating lap was half a second better than the best efforts of his rivals and leaves the 32-year-old just one short of equalling Michael Schumacher's all-time record for the most poles in F1.

"That lap felt great and I wasn't expecting to have a gap like that," said Hamilton as he celebrated the fifth pole position of his career on home soil.

Hamilton was placed under investigation for an alleged block of Haas driver Romain Grosjean during the top-ten shootout but cleared of any wrongdoing by the stewards.

The rights and wrongs of Hamilton's no-show at the F1 Live event in London will, however, continued to be debated, but Hamilton's response to his critics on the track was emphatic.

The Englishman, already on provisional pole after the opening Q3 runs, was mighty through the fast middle sector at Silverstone and improved by over half a second on his final lap to bring the Silverstone crowd to its feet.

"He owned pole position today," accepted title rival Sebastian Vettel with the +0.547 seconds margin between pole and the second-fastest car the biggest of the year so far.

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Vettel's Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari will line up alongside Hamilton on the front row after the Finn narrowly out-qualified the world championship leader.

"We have a good car and for the race we can challenge them," said Raikkonen.

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When's the British GP on Sky?

All the TV times and ways to watch this weekend's race live on Sky F1.

Hamilton will be exposed to the twin threat from the Ferrari as Valtteri Bottas, fastest in Friday practice, will have to start from a lowly ninth due to a five-place grid penalty.

It means, even if Hamilton makes a clean start, Ferrari can try to undercut the Mercedes with one of their drivers and attempt an overcut with the other in a 'pincer-style movement.

Like Hamilton in Austria a week ago, Bottas will begin the race on the slower soft tyres and made a mistake on his final flying lap.

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Ted Kravitz gives his thoughts on Saturday's qualifying session from the British Grand Prix in Silverstone.

Stoffel Vandoorne out-qualified McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso - certain, in any case to be last due to a series of engine-related grid penalties - for the first time this season but the Spaniard did at least claim the distinction of topping the timesheets in Q1 after being the only driver to switch to slick tyres as the circuit began to dry.

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An engine problem meant Daniel Ricciardo was unable to progress from Q1 and will join Alonso on the back row on Sunday. The Australian had already picked up a five-place grid penalty for his own unscheduled gearbox change ahead of final practice.

Renault's Nico Hulkenberg produced the standout performance of the Qualifying hour by muscling his Renault to sixth. Team-mate Jolyon Palmer was 11th but nearly a second slower.

British GP Qualifying Timesheet

Driver Team Time
1) Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:26.600
2) Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari + 0.547
3) Sebastian Vettel Ferrari +0.756
4) Valtteri Bottas Mercedes +0.776
5) Max Verstappen Red Bull +1.530
6) Nico Hulkenberg Renault +2.256
7) Sergio Perez Force India +2.302
8) Esteban Ocon Force India +2.474
9) Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren +2.818
10) Romain Grosjean Haas +2.949
Knocked out in Q2
11) Jolyon Palmer Renault 1:30.193
12) Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:30.355
13) Fernando Alonso McLaren 1:30.600
14) Carlos Sainz Toro Rosso 1:31.368
15) Felipe Massa Williams 1:31.482
Knocked out in Q1
16) Lance Stroll Williams 1:42.573
17) Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:42.577
18) Pascal Wehrlein Sauber 1:42.593
19) Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:42.633
20) Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:42.966

* Bottas to be relegated five places due to unscheduled gearbox change and Alonso to be demoted 30 places due to engine penalties

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