F1 Monaco GP: Hamilton takes first ever Monte Carlo pole

Defending world champion Lewis Hamilton scored his first F1 career pole for the Monaco Grand Prix ahead of Mercedes AMG F1 teammate Nico Rosberg who missed out on the chance to score three straight pole positions at the narrow and twisty 3.37 km street circuit.

The qualifying session ended anticlimactically as the third and final segment was set up closely between the two Mercedes drivers who were separated by just over a tenth with F1 champion Hamilton ahead. A big lock up on the right-front tyre put paid to Rosberg's final qualifying attempt, just as an even bigger lock up of the left-front tyre at the end of the second segment had forced the German to abort his final flying lap.

Hamilton's lap of 1min 15.098sec was just over three tenths of a second faster than Rosberg's best attempt whose only consolation going into F1's most publicized race is that he did three laps less over the course of qualifying than Hamilton. Although given the world champion's form so far, Rosberg would either have to get a lightning start when the lights go out or be very creative with his tyre strategy as overtaking at the circuit is next to impossible.

In third place behind the two Mercedes drivers is former four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel in his Ferrari with Red Bull-Renault having by far their best qualifying session this year with Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat in fourth and fifth.

Enduring yet another disappointing qualifying session was Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen with Force India-Mercedes' Sergio Perez behind the 2007 F1 champion.

Carlos Sainz Jr. of Toro Rosso-Renault, Lotus-Mercedes' Pastor Maldonado and Sainz's teammate Max Verstappen rounded out the top ten.

Unable to make it to the third and final segment of qualifying yet again were McLaren-Honda's pairing of two former F1 champions Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard's car ground to a halt before the end of the second segment when the car's onboard computer seemed to engage the anti-stall system by itself. Button as well as the second Lotus-Mercedes of Romain Grosjean missed the final segment by just a tenth of a second each.