MONTE-CARLO – Lewis Hamilton has taken an important step towards a second career victory in Monaco, by claiming pole position for Sunday’s race. The Brit finished ahead of teammate Nico Rosberg, with the Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen in third and sixth respectively.

 With eight of the last nine Monaco champions securing victory from pole position, the importance of a good qualifying performance can not be underestimated, and Hamilton delivered on Saturday in no uncertain terms. His teammate and greatest rival Nico Rosberg had looked quick during the middle section of qualifying, but was beaten into second place by a margin of 0.342 seconds.

 "I can't explain how happy I am, Hamilton told BBC Sport. "It was a difficult session. A lot of things threw me off my rhythm and I did not have one until the last two laps. It wasn't easy and that makes it more special."

 However, despite the importance of a pole position qualification, such is the taxing nature of Monaco’s circuit, drivers can never relax. Hamilton’s only previous win in the Principality came in 2008 where he won from third place, and as a result, the reigning world champion knows there is no room for complacency.

 "It is difficult to express how difficult this track is. It is important to get into a rhythm and improve. It is like climbing a ladder and if you slide back down sometimes it is hard to climb back up again. The job is not even half done. There is so much to do in the race.”

 Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel will be hoping for a similar performance to Hamilton in 2008 as he starts from third on Sunday. Saturday had promised much for the Italian team after Vettel topped the charts in the morning’s final practice session, but it was a familiar story in qualifying as Mercedes completed a front row lockout thanks to a blistering performance in the final section.

 Elsewhere, 17-year old Max Verstappen continued his excellent Monaco debut by advancing to the final part of qualifying, eventually finishing in 10^th place for Sunday’s race. Fellow debutant Carlos Sainz Jnr knows the streets of Monaco intimately, having enjoyed successful karting results in the Principality, and fared equally well in his Formula 1 car, qualifying eighth.

 As ever on the roads of Monte-Carlo, much will depend on race strategy during the race. However, after seeing Hamilton’s qualifying pace, if the Briton enjoys a successful run to the first corner at Sainte Devote on Sunday, he will hold all the aces on a track which is notoriously difficult for the chasing pack.