MONTREAL, Canada, CMC – McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton was yesterday eyeing his first win of the Formula One season after snatching a share of the front row for today’s Canadian Grand Prix.
The Brit, whose paternal grandparents are Grenadian, clocked one minute, 14.087 seconds to finish second in final qualifying while reigning drivers champion Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull clinched pole in a time of 1:13.784.
Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso finished third in a time of 1:14.151 to secure a spot on the second row.
“I’m very happy with our performance and very pleased to be on the front row. We can have a really good race from there,” Hamilton said afterward.
“Our long-run pace on Friday looked good, so I’ll definitely be looking to go forward in the race. I’ll be doing absolutely everything I can to look after the tyres. The guys have been working really hard to improve our pit stops, too, so I think there’s a lot to look forward to.”
Hamilton is a two-time winner in Montreal after success in his breakout season in 2007 and again two years ago.
And after a series of disappointing finishes this season, Hamilton will be hoping a win here can jump start his season.
However, he remained cautious about his chances especially surrounded by Vettel and Alonso.
“I want to win but these guys are phenomenally quick at the moment and I’m not sure whether we have exact pace but we’ll wait and see tomorrow,” he said.
Hamilton lies fourth in the standings on 63 points, just 13 off leader Alonso on 76.
The other Red Bull of Mark Webber will line up alongside Alonso while Mercedes GP’s Nico Rosberg and Ferrari’s Felipe Massa occupy row three.
