Lewis Hamilton will start the Tuscan Grand Prix on pole position after he benefitted from a yellow flag which stopped Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas from potentially stealing his place on the grid.
Bottas had the better pace throughout all three practice sessions and was also the quickest in Q1.
But Hamilton, who leading his team-mate by 47 points in the Drivers’ Championship, set the quickest lap when it mattered the most.
It could have been different for Bottas had Esteban Ocon not pulled his Renault over to the side of the track while the Finn was on an out lap.
A yellow flag was waved and Bottas had to settle for second place on the grid.
“It has been a really really tough weekend, this track is phenomenal,” Hamilton said.
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Red Bull’s Max Verstapen secured third place on the grid as he finished 0.3seconds behind Hamilton – the closest he has got to pole all season.
“I personally never expected to fight them,” he says.
“I think overall this weekend has been really promising, we have bounced back well from Monza. To be third in qualifying, we can be very happy with that.”
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