2015 Belgian Grand Prix Saturday - Qualifying
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We'll be back with AUTOSPORT live coverage of Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix from 13:00 BST.
That concludes AUTOSPORT's live coverage of qualifying. Stay tuned for news and analysis from the paddock throughout the afternoon and evening.
Catch up with all the action from qualifying at Spa with our full session report
Belgian F1 GP: Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton extends pole streak at Spa
Belgian F1 GP: Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton extends pole streak at Spa
Hamilton extends pole streak at Spa
It'll be a bitter sweet qualifying session for Romain Grosjean. He was fourth fastest, his best qualifying result of the year, but will start ninth after a gearbox penalty.
Notably, that's Hamilton's 10th pole of the 2015 season. With just eight races left to run that ensures he will collect the FIA's Pole Trophy come the end of the campaign.
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A downbeat Massa was just seventh fastest, but will be looking for more on Sunday.
"We tried, but we keep trying again tomorrow," he tells the Williams team."
"We tried, but we keep trying again tomorrow," he tells the Williams team."
And the first driver since Mika Hakkinen in 1999 to do it in a single season. Not bad company to be amongst.
Hamilton becomes the first man since Michael Schumacher in 2000/2001 to score six consecutive pole positions in F1.
A delighted Hamilton jumps out of his car and heads off to the weighbridge. A dominant performance from Hamilton.
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Bottas is chuffed with his run to third.
"Thanks guys, really good job, that was good fun," says the Finn.
"Thanks guys, really good job, that was good fun," says the Finn.
Checkered flag
Q3 result:
1 Hamilton
2 Rosberg
3 Bottas
4 Grosjean (penalty to come)
5 Perez
6 Ricciardo
7 Massa
8 Maldonado
9 Vettel
10 Sainz
1 Hamilton
2 Rosberg
3 Bottas
4 Grosjean (penalty to come)
5 Perez
6 Ricciardo
7 Massa
8 Maldonado
9 Vettel
10 Sainz
Bottas clinches third, Perez manages fifth which will become row two when Grosjean's penalty hits.
Vettel doesn't improve across the full lap, he's way down in ninth.
Rosberg improves his time but he has to settle for second and by a big margin - he's nearly half a second off Hamilton.
Vettel is now down in ninth but improving.
Grosjean shoots into fourth place.
Stopwatch
Hamilton improves his provisional pole time to 1m47.197s, Rosberg is three tenths down in the middle of the lap again.
Rosberg is a tenth up on Hamilton in sector one.
Checkered flag
The chequered flag is now out.
Hamilton does a personal best in sector one but is a tenth off what Perez managed there.
Another burst of Force India speed in sector one - Perez fastest of all again there.
All 10 drivers are now out for a showdown with two minutes left.
Rosberg is 0.4s shy of Hamilton's first banker in Q3. He might be left to rue that mistake on the run out of Paul Frere.
Maldonado and Grosjean are seventh and eighth, Perez and Sainz yet to run.
So far:
1 Hamilton
2 Rosberg +0.446s
3 Bottas +1.118s
4 Massa +1.488s
5 Ricciardo +2.127s
6 Vettel +2.249s
1 Hamilton
2 Rosberg +0.446s
3 Bottas +1.118s
4 Massa +1.488s
5 Ricciardo +2.127s
6 Vettel +2.249s
Ricciardo puts Red Bull fifth, but he's a second off Bottas in third and 2s off Hamilton.
Maldonado and Grosjean bring up the rear of those to run so far as Q3 reaches its halfway point.
Vettel is only fifth right now, his first lap 2.2s off Hamilton's pace.
Bottas is a second off in third, with a 0.4s advantage over team-mate Massa.
Rosberg comes through and he's just over four tenths slower in second.
Stopwatch
Hamilton now goes fastest on a 1m47.449s.
Advantage Hamilton now, as he outpaces Rosberg by 0.3s in the middle sector.
Stopwatch
Bottas sets a 1m48.567s benchmark.
Mercedes gets going: Rosberg is a tenth faster than Hamilton in sector one.
Ferrari getting ahead of themselves, they've just congratulated Vettel on qualifying in P3 via Twitter. Who needs to bother with Q3 when it's your 900th grands prix. They've sensibility deleted that. Let's see how Vettel fairs.
Bottas will be first man to set a time. He's through the first sector now, a couple of tenths up on Grosjean.
That means Hamilton could clinch the not-exactly-coveted pole position trophy by securing another one today.
Hamilton hasn't been beaten to a pole since Barcelona in May - the only time he's missed out on a Saturday all season.
Hamilton is the first Mercedes to get going. Massa also joins in.
Bottas and Grosjean are first out.
By: AUTOSPORT staff
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