EDMUND TAKES IT TO ANOTHER LEVEL Djokovic next up for Briton
LEWIS HAMILTON is on pole position in Italy today as he aims to win his 50th grand prix.
The Brit starts first at Monza for the third year in a row, with Mercedes team-mate and title rival Nico Rosberg joining him on the front row of the grid.
The pole was the 56th of the British triple world champion’s F1 career and he equalled the record of five in Italy held by the late Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio and Brazilian Ayrton Senna.
Hamilton, whose pole time of one minute 21.135secs was nearly half a second faster than Rosberg, leads the German by nine points in the championship with eight rounds remaining.
And Hamilton was delighted to match Fangio and Senna’s record.
Hamilton said: “I feel incredibly proud to be up among Senna and Juan Manuel.
“They were incredible drivers and I never thought in a million years my name would be mentioned in the same sentence as BOSS Gordon Strachan knows his Scotland their side need to start qualifying 2018 World Cup win in Malta campaign with a ties with today – with trickier Slovenia and England, Slovakia, in Group F. Lithuania ahead to win Scotland have failed opening in their last four games, qualifying group drawing and losing two apiece. KELL BROOK plans to cause one of the biggest shocks in boxing history when he faces middleweight king Gennady Golovkin next weekend.
Brook, the unbeaten IBF welterweight champion, has been given little chance after stepping up two theirs so I am very proud of that.”
The records are continuing to fall for Hamilton, who is now the odds-on favourite to join Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel with four titles overall.
If Lewis wins today, Rosberg will head to Singapore with a deficit of at least 16 points – yet in May the German led the title race by 43.
Meanwhile, Jenson Button, 36, has signed an “innovative” twoyear deal with McLaren which will see him replaced by highly-rated reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne.
McLaren has an option on Button for him to return in 2018 – or even next season if needed. Boss Ron Dennis said “Forget the word retirement – Jenson is one of the team’s drivers for the next two years and if he is needed next year, he will drive.”
But Button, the 2009 world champion, added: “You are not just a racing driver when you drive in F1 – this is your life – and I definitely need a break from that in 2017.” divisions to face the WBA, IBF and WBC title holder at London’s O2.
Golovkin, unbeaten in 35 fights, is one of the most feared men in boxing but Brook said: “Everyone has written me off but I am going out to shock the world.”