British GP: Lewis Hamilton fears Sebastian Vettel's race pace

Hamilton grabbed his second pole of the 2013 season after beating Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg by nearly half a second.

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber will start third and fourth.

But with Mercedes' car known for its issues with tyre degradation, Hamilton is under no illusions for the race.

"I think it is going to be tough to keep Seb behind," said Hamilton.

"But our long-run pace is not as bad as we have seen in the past so I am hoping with a bit of care we can nurture the tyres to get a good result. I will be pushing as will Nico to try and be ahead."

Hamilton admitted he was elated after having securing his second home pole position.

"It is incredible," he said. "It feels just like it did in 2007. Just to see the crowd here today is fantastic.

"I hope tomorrow we can do something for them. This is down to the team, they have done a phenomenal job. I haven't felt 100 per cent comfortable in car all weekend so I'm happy to get a lap."

Rosberg agreed that Mercedes' rivals are likely to be more competitive in the race.

"Tomorrow should be a bit better [than before]. I am sure there will be other teams that are stronger than us," he said.

"Starting from front should help, and it should be possible to get a good result."