Rosberg will have known this was a chance missed to capitalise on a rocky period for Hamilton. “Rubbish end of the qualifying,” the German sighed over the radio, while Hamilton was jubilant. On a circuit where he has already won three times – including his first victory back in 2007 – the 30-year-old is the overwhelming favourite on Sunday.
After securing the 44th pole of his career – the same number he carries on his car – Hamilton said: “It really is [very special], I feel amazing today. It wasn’t the easiest of days. I went into qualifying a bit blind, but I won my first grand prix here and that was incredibly special and to get another pole here, and it being the 44th, that’s very, very special for me.”
This was the perfect riposte for Hamilton. It was not just the pit stop blunder in Monaco, it was the fact that since then it has steadily emerged how significant a role he played in that debacle, largely unknown on the night of the race itself.
Formula One’s official website published the full transcript of the radio exchange on Saturday and it revealed that on two separate occasions the reigning champion was told to stay out and twice prompted the team to change their minds.
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Then there was his needless bump with the barriers in the rain here on Friday night, when the team sent him out on the wrong tyre in torrential conditions. Morning practice provided no relief either, finishing last. At least Hamilton is no longer driving a McLaren, though.
Fernando Alonso needed an engine change while Button stopped out on track too. A failure with the energy recovery system forced him to sit out qualifying. So much for their updated Honda power pack here. Alonso will start 13th.
The worry for McLaren is that those initial signs of progress have faded. The longer they struggle to claw back ground the more doubt there will be that this McLaren-Honda partnership can ever return the team to winning ways.
Unsurprisingly, given his travails in the morning, Hamilton was straight out in the first segment. His opening effort was encouraging, 0.7s quicker than Rosberg. With his next, he went a full second clear. Rosberg responded but, despite some rallying across the curbs, the Englishman was taking no time to dust off the cobwebs. By the end of the opening salvo there was just two thousands of a second between the Mercedes pair.
After Pastor Maldonado’s customary spin came the shock for Vettel in Q1. The German aborted his first lap. “There’s something wrong,” he told his engineers.
With just two minutes left, Ferrari sent him out on the faster rubber but he was still too slow, clearly down on power. The engine sounded like it was being powered by bricks rather than carefully-refined fuel. The four-time champion went out along with Felipe Massa – also suffering mechanical troubles – and the two Manors. A loud beep was all that could be heard over Vettel’s in-car radio.
Raikkonen failed to mount a challenge for Ferrari against Mercedes. The Silver Arrows were so fast at the start of Q2 that they sat in the garage as the rest fought it out for a place in the top 10. Max Verstappen went 12th fastest but will start at the back, taking combined penalties for changing an engine and his crash in Monaco.
As Mercedes began their exclusive duel for pole, Rosberg knew this was the time to twist the knife, with Hamilton at his most unsettled for months. But first blood went to the reigning champion. A stunning lap, brushing as close as he dared against the walls, gave him provisional pole by 0.3s from his team-mate.
Rosberg failed to respond. Both went slower on their second laps, and Hamilton had a much-needed pole. The momentum shifts once more.