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Lewis Hamilton on pole for Canadian GP - but admits his pole lap wasn't great!

"Honestly, it wasn't a great lap," admits Montreal pole-sitter

Lewis Hamilton is braced for a close fight against an improved Ferrari in the Canadian GP, after just edging out Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg in an incredibly close battle for pole position in qualifying.

The world champion claimed the 53rd pole of his career - and his fifth at Montreal - by the narrowest of margins, with Rosberg less than a tenth adrift.

Both Mercedes drivers set their fastest times on their first flying laps at the start of Q3, with Hamilton failing to improve his lap time on his second effort and Rosberg making an error into the first corner.

Lewis edges out Nico for pole

And afterwards Hamilton made a very unusual complaint as he admitted he wasn't impressed with the lap that earned him pole.

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"Honestly, it wasn't a great lap, but I'm not sure l should admit that!" Hamilton joked to Sky F1.

"I didn't have the same pace that l had yesterday. I'm not sure if it was a set-up change. It was enough, but not as much as l would have liked. On Friday, l had half a second on Nico. I think he gained some and l lost some.

"The second lap should have been better, but it wasn't."

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Sky F1's Paul di Resta breaks down Lewis Hamilton's fifth career pole position in Canada

Hamilton's subdued second run left the door open for Rosberg, but the German aborted his final run after locking up and running wide into Turn One.

"I was hoping you hadn't seen that! I tried to pull it out of the bag but it just didn't work out," rued Rosberg.

However, Hamilton is also wary of the threat posed by Ferrari, with the cars of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen armed with an upgraded power unit.

"Ferrari have obviously picked up their pace with their upgrades," said the world champion. "This is a good track for them. We're excited to race them tomorrow. Their long runs look strong. The weather will play a key role. If it rains it will be much tougher, but if it's dry then it's just about looking after the tyres."

But rain or shine, Hamilton will start the race as the clear favourite to prevail - and in the process further reduce Rosberg's lead of the championship.

"He has been in control all weekend," noted Sky F1's Paul di Resta. "But as he said, it's not over until it's over. Clearly, getting off the line could be key, and equally, the Ferraris could be close."

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