Lewis Hamilton 'overwhelmed' with German GP pole after problem-filled Nurburgring practice

A delighted Lewis Hamilton hailed his German GP pole "overwhelming" after admitting his preparation for qualifying at the Nurburgring had proved a series of "disasters".

The pole is the third of Hamilton's nascent Mercedes career and the first for the German manufacturer at their home race since Juan-Manuel Fangio in 1954. Fangio went on to win that race for Mercedes, their own home victory as a team owner to date, and after losing the chance to open his victory account for the outfit last weekend through a tyre blowout, Hamilton is optimistic he will be able to take on the Red Bulls, which start second and third, again on Sunday, "Obviously it's a privilege to drive for this team; they're got great history and it is where Mercedes really started. So I feel proud to get the pole for them but obviously there's no points for today. Tomorrow's the important day," a focused Hamilton added. "These [Red Bull] guys are good on their long runs and I hope with my new set-up hopefully it will be as good and we can give them a run for their money."