Canada Grand Prix: Hamilton on pole, equals Senna’s career haul

Triple world champion Lewis Hamilton produced a moment of Montreal magic on Saturday to put his Mercedes on pole position for the and equal Ayrton Senna’s career haul of 65.

The Briton’s third pole in a row in Canada equalled Michael Schumacher’s record of six at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, but it took a stunning lap worthy of his late Brazilian hero Senna to do it. After Ferrari had dominated the day’s final practice, Hamilton moved it up a level with a lap faster than any previously recorded at the sun-bathed island circuit.

Then, with Ferrari’s championship leader Sebastian Vettel piling on the pressure with a time only 0.004 slower, the Briton went even faster to finish with a flourish and a lap of one minute 11.459 seconds.
“It was a sexy lap. It was a great lap. I can’t believe that it came together so well,” he said. The pole, which left him three adrift of Schumacher’s all-time record of 68, came 10 years on from the first of his Formula One career at the same track with McLaren.

Vettel, a four times world champion with Red Bull who leads Hamilton by 25 points after six races, qualified second for Sunday’s race. …read more