Motorsport: Hamilton bags pole as Rosberg takes penalty

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton during qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix. Photo / AP

Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton put Mercedes on pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday with team mate and overall leader Nico Rosberg set to start seventh after a grid penalty.

Force India's Nico Hulkenberg will join the Briton on the front row, with McLaren's Jenson Button third thanks to five- place penalties for Rosberg and Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, who qualified second and fourth respectively.

Rosberg, who leads Hamilton by 24 points ahead of Monday's race, crashed in final practice and needed a gearbox change, triggering the penalty.

The final phase of qualifying took place on a drying track, with the leaderboard constantly changing, after rain at the end of the second session. The pole was Hamilton's second in a row in Austria and 54th of his career.