Hamilton takes pole in Canada

1:04pm Sunday 8th June 2008

LEWIS Hamilton delivered a brilliant last lap in qualifying to claim a second successive pole for Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix.

The McLaren driver lapped the Montreal circuit in 1 min 17.886 secs to beat Robert Kubica's mark for BMW Sauber by more than half a second.

Kimi Raikkonen lines up third for Ferrari alongside the Enstone-built Renault of Fernando Alonso in fourth.

Jenson Button will start at the back after he was forced to withdraw his Brackley-built Honda because of gearbox problems.

Hamilton topped the timesheets in all three qualifying sessions in Montreal with a characteristic display of attacking but assured driving.

Nico Rosberg, who was fastest in final practice in the Grove-built AT&T Williams-Toyota, claimed fifth spot ahead of Ferrari's Felipe Massa and McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen.

BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld, Honda's Rubens Barrichello and Mark Webber for Red Bull completed the top ten.