Lewis Hamilton breaks Michael Schumacher's all-time record with pole position ahead of Italian Grand Prix

The Brit made the best of tricky conditions in Monza to top the time sheets and claim the 69th pole of his glittering career surpassing the mark of the great German

Lewis Hamilton put on a masterclass of wet-weather driving to top the timesheets at Monza (AFP)

Nothing characterised the diverse emotions that racing generates more than the two extremes that the spectators at Monza endured this afternoon, as Lewis Hamilton eventually saved the day from delays and disaster by staging another masterclass to move clear of Michael Schumacher as he set a new record for 69 pole positions after a lengthy wait for the weather to improve.

When Romain Grosjean crashed his Haas only four minutes into the first qualifying session, after aquaplaning on the rain-soaked main straight, it triggered another of those interminable ‘hurry up and wait’ periods that everybody hates.

It had been raining all day in the cathedral of speed, and as conditions showed no sign of improving, the FIA continually issued 15 minute updates, which were actually 15 minute delays. There was much criticism, but it reality there was little that they could do. F1 cars might have shedloads more downforce than the roadcars in which many of the increasingly impatient spectators – and media – had driven to the track, but there is really no comparison.

As Grosjean proved, once you lose grip at 200 mph, you’re just a passenger. He was a lucky one, who stepped out unharmed having avoided hitting anything really hard.

When things finally resumed, Hamilton was narrowly pipped by his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas in the first session, then dominated the second.

Mercedes made the wrong tyre choice for the third, as did Ferrari, but both quickly switched from the intermediate Pirellis back to the full-wet extremes as more rain fell.


 Hamilton made the best of awful conditions 
 (Getty)

It was one of those sessions when times were improving continually as conditions slowly did. French rising star Esteban Ocon, Max Verstappen and Hamilton all had turns at the top, but right at the end Mercedes pitted both their drivers for fresh wets. That was just as well, as Verstappen had meantime lapped in 1m 36.702s to beat Hamilton’s previous mark of 1m 36.913s. The Dutchman’s team-mate Daniel Ricciardo was also fast with 1m 36.841s, temporarily putting Red Bull 1-2. But right at the end Hamilton put another of his trademark super-fast laps together after beating the chequered flag by 15 seconds, and stopped the clocks with 1m 35.554s to set his new record.

After punching the air continually as he headed back to the pits, he admitted that he wasn’t sure at first that he had done enough.

“I honestly didn’t know if I had it, but it felt like great lap. My second to last lap was okay at beginning but I backed out of it and hoped that I would get another lap, that there wouldn’t be any red flags or whatever. There weren’t, and I gave it everything.


 Hamilton followed up pole last week with another in Italy 
 (Getty)

“Today was a real challenge, with the break. You’re in the zone for a second, then you are out of the car, chilling out and waiting, then you get back in, then you get back out because still conditions aren’t good enough… It drains your energy. So I was grateful when we got back out. Racing in the rain is such a challenge and this is such a great place, as you find where the grip is.

“The intermediate tyres were definitely a problem at the start of Q3. It’s all about getting them up to temperature. When they are below their working optimum, they are just rock solid and sliding and not working with the asphalt. We were just on the crossover point but then a lot more rain came down for Q3, so we couldn’t go fast enough to generate enough heat on them.


 Hamilton made it 69 poles in his glittering career 
 (Getty)

“When we were back on the extremes there was a massive difference: a lot more grip and traction, and the tyres were working, clearing the water.”

Pirelli’s extreme wet tyre can clear 65 litres of water a second at 300 kmh.

“It’ll be dry tomorrow,” Hamilton continued, “so we had the car set up for that, so you are driving a stiff car with not a lot of give and flexibility, and that definitely makes it a little trickier. It’s an amazing challenge, and one that I love!”

Having equalled Schumacher’s record last weekend, and now beaten it, he again admitted that he was at a loss for words.


 Hamilton passed Schumacher's record of 68 poles 
 (Getty)

“I wish I was better with them, and had something iconic to say. I think the record has only switched hands a few times… I grew up watching the sport, witnessing greatness in other individuals, like Michael, and dreaming one day of doing what they were doing. Now we are proving to young kids who are here dreaming today that dreams are something that can come true. But I will keep pushing, in case Vettel starts catching up!”

Ah, Vettel. Whatever happened to Ferrari’s championship points leader, on their home ground? The answer was, disaster.

Sensationally, Williams’ Canadian rookie Lance Stroll, one of the stars in Baku, proved what a good wet-weather driver he is by taking fourth fastest time ahead of the equally impressive Ocon, and with Valtteri Bottas sixth, Kimi Raikkonen’s was the leading Ferrari ahead of Vettel’s, in seventh and eighth places. Quite simply, the famed Scuderia, celebrating their 70th racing anniversary, just didn’t get it together in qualifying. They have a lifeline, however, as both Red Bulls will drop down the order - Verstappen to 15th, Ricciardo to 18th - because of grid lace penalties for engine and transmission changes, thus elevating Raikkonen and Vettel to fifth and sixth.

Of course, Hamilton must be relieved that his rivals are troubled, but he was genuinely happy too to see the Red Bulls and the new young lions doing well.

“These two have done a fantastic job, which just shows their ability,” he said of Verstappen and Ricciardo. “We need them in the fight with us, Mercedes and Ferrari. It’s a shame we can’t keep them up here. And it’s great to see Stroll and Ocon coming through and keeping me on my toes. They have come into a series where the cars are much more physical, and they’re doing a great job, showing great promise.”