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Lewis Hamilton speeds to record-equalling pole position at Italian Grand Prix

Sport360 staff

17:42 03/09/2016

The championship leader and defending three-time champion clocked a best lap time of one minute and 21.135 seconds to outpace the German by nearly half a second.

The ā€˜silver arrowsā€™ dominated the session to finish comfortably ahead of the Ferraris of four-time former champion Sebastian Vettel and 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen.

It was Hamiltonā€™s third successive pole at the Italian event and his fifth in all at Monza, a feat that equalled those of Argentine Fangio and Brazilian Senna.

It was also the 56th pole of Hamiltonā€™s career.

Senna was the last man to achieve a hat-trick of Italy poles.

ā€œTo be up there with Senna and Fangio I never thought Iā€™d be mentioned in the same breath as them in a million years,ā€ said Hamilton.

Hamilton and Rosbergā€™s front row lockout was Mercedesā€™ 41st and enabled them to equal the record of dominance set by Red Bull pairing Vettel and Mark Webber in their heyday.

Hamilton will be bidding on Sunday to register a hat-trick of Italian wins with his 50th career victory to enlarge his nine points lead in the title race ahead of Rosberg.

His pole made a pleasant change from last weekendā€™s grid when Hamilton started last in Belgium after penalties, charging through the pack at Spa-Francorchamps to claim third.

Valtteri Bottas was fifth for Williams ahead of Australian Daniel Ricciardo and his Red Bull team-mate, Dutch teenager Max Verstappen.

Mexican Sergio Perez was eighth ahead of his Force India team-mate German Nico Hulkenberg with Mexican Esteban Gutierrez taking 10th for Haas.

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