Canadian GP: Mercedes' Nico Rosberg rues mistake over 'bad tyres'

Rosberg will start second on the grid at Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve behind Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton who claimed the 44th pole of his career, and sixth in seven races this season.

Rosberg finished three tenths of a second behind Hamilton on times set in their first run in Q3 and surprisingly neither man improved on their second outing.

Hamilton suffered an oversteer moment at Turn 2 that cost him a couple of tenths and from which he failed to recover.

Rosberg, though, made changes to his set-up in between runs that were not needed after debating a call from the pits regarding the initial set of Pirelli super-softs.

"There was a lack of grip on the rear on the set of tyres at the start of Q3," said Rosberg.

"I had to adapt the car, so I took some front wing off, and things like that, but for the last set the grip was back to normal and I then had too much understeer as I had adapted to the first set. So that really put me off there.

"They have now confirmed they [the tyres] were a bad set. It was a call I had to make to change the set-up.

"It's amazing how things go. Tiny things in the end make such a big difference and it got me.

"Everything just has to come together to get pole in F1 and it's such a fine line."

After a disrupted final practice session, which included two red flags, Hamilton was just relieved it all came together in qualifying.

The reigning champion propped up the timesheet at the end of practice three after failing to get in a single clean lap due to the stoppages and errors.

But come qualifying Hamilton ultimately came out on top, despite his wobble in the second run in Q3.

"It wasn't the easiest of days," said Hamilton.

"P3 was actually quite tough. I didn't complete any laps - mostly my fault - so I was going into qualifying a bit blind really as to where the set-up would be.

"So to get another pole here, and it be the 44th [to match his car number] that's very, very special for me.

"Again an amazing job by the team, regrouping, pulling together to help keep me and Nico on the front row for them."