Published: 22 August, 2009, 18:08
Edited: 22 August, 2009, 18:08
Reigning F1 champion Lewis Hamilton has taken his first pole position of the season at the European Grand Prix after leading a McLaren 1-2 in qualifying.
Hamilton will start Sunday's 57-lap race in Valencia first after his best lap of 1 minute and 39.498 seconds earned the defending Formula One champion his 14th career pole.
Hamilton’s teammate Heikki Kovalainen snatched the right to line up second after his battle with Brawn GP's Rubens Barrichello. The Brazilian will start third on Sunday ahead of Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and overall F1 leader Jenson Button.
Felipe Massa’s stand-in Luca Badoer's return to F1 after a 10-year absence got off to the worst possible start as the Ferrari driver qualified last on the 20-car grid.