with third consecutive pole
Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton claimed the second consecutive front-row lockout for the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS team in today's qualifying session for the Monaco Grand Prix.* Pole position is Nico's third in a row and the fourth consecutive pole for the team in the 2013 season * Nico was fastest in every practice session of the weekend prior to qualifying on pole this afternoon * The 0.091s gap between the drivers is equivalent to less than a car length around the 3.340 km Monaco lap
Nico RosbergIt's a great feeling to be on pole in the city where I grew up and it means so much to me to drive through the streets here in a Silver Arrow. The conditions were really difficult out there today with the rain at the start but we handled it well. I have to say thank you to everybody at the team for all of their hard work in improving our car and our performance so much since last year. Having said that, we know that race pace has been our weakness. We've learnt a lot since the last race, and this track should suit us, but we'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out if this will be enough.Lewis HamiltonCongratulations to Nico and the team today, a great job all round. It's a big improvement for me after struggling in the practice sessions here so I'm really happy to be on the front row of the grid. I didn't have a great first sector on my lap today but after that it really came together. I've got some work to do as I haven't felt completely comfortable in the car this weekend but I'm confident that we can have a good race tomorrow and we'll be aiming to get the best possible result for the team.Ross BrawnThat was a tricky session and the weather kept us on our toes for the whole hour. Nico, Lewis and the whole team did a great job throughout qualifying to put us in the perfect position at the front of the grid for tomorrow. We are well aware of our fate in the last few races and we have to make sure that we are in better shape for tomorrow. I believe we have moved in the right direction and we'll see tomorrow if those improvements are enough and we can have a good race.Toto WolffWhat a fantastic result and a brilliant performance from both drivers. There was a lot to lose at the beginning of the session in the wet conditions and it was important to judge the right changeover point from intermediate to dry tyres. The team did a perfect job of keeping both drivers in the chase and they then delivered the rest out on track. Of course we are very pleased this afternoon but, at the risk of sounding like I am repeating myself, we know it's tomorrow that really counts.
1. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m13.876s2. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1m13.967s + 0.091s3. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m13.980s + 0.104s4. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m14.181s + 0.305s5. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m14.822s + 0.946s6. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m14.824s + 0.948s7. Sergio Perez McLaren-Mercedes 1m15.138s + 1.262s8. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m15.383s + 1.507s9. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m15.647s + 1.771s10 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m15.703s + 1.827s
Q2
11. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 1m18.331s + 2.343s12. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m18.344s + 2.356s13. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m18.603s + 2.615s14. Valtteri Bottas Williams-Renault 1m19.077s + 3.089s15. Giedo van der Garde Caterham-Renault 1m19.408s + 3.420s16. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m21.688s + 5.700s
Q117. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m26.322s + 2.870s18. Charles Pic Caterham-Renault 1m26.633s + 3.181s19. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1m26.917s + 3.465s20. Max Chilton Marussia-Cosworth 1m27.303s + 3.851s21. Jules Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth22. Felipe Massa Ferrari
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