- Brit aborts final qualifying run believing he had done enough to secure pole
- Hamilton's Mercedes team-mate Rosberg snatches lead in final minutes
- Jenson Button to start Sunday's race from third
- Reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel will start second
Lewis Hamilton apologises after blunder leaves him SIXTH on the grid for F1 British Grand Prix as title rival Nico Rosberg secures pole position
Lewis Hamilton apologised to his fans after blowing his chance of securing pole position for the British Grand Prix after inexplicably aborting his final run in Saturday's dramatic qualifying session.
Hamilton appeared set to secure his second pole in as many years in front of his home crowd with track conditions seemingly worsening in the rain-hit session.
But as his title rival Nico Rosberg snatched pole in the final moments, Hamilton chose to bail out of his last lap, confident he had done enough to start Sunday's race from the front of the pack.
VIDEO Scroll down to watch Lewis Hamilton: From karting kid to world champion
Costly mistake: Lewis Hamilton's error means he will start Sunday's British Grand Prix from sixth place
Lonely walk: Lewis Hamilton trudges back to the pit lane after qualifying for the British Grand Prix
Wet conditions: Qualifying for the British Grand Prix was affected by rain during Saturday
The final sector of the circuit had however dried out, with not only Rosberg going faster than the Briton, but four other drivers, meaning Hamilton will only start sixth at Silverstone on Sunday.
He later admitted: 'I made a mistake today, a bad call that decided my qualifying. I'm so sorry to all the amazing fans. I'll push all the way for them tomorrow.'
Rosberg will be joined on the front row by reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel with Jenson Button, yet to secure a podium in 14 previous attempts at Silverstone, third on the grid.
The Force India of Nico Hulkenberg was fourth fastest with McLaren's Kevin Magnussen next up and ahead of Hamilton.
It is the third qualifying blunder from Hamilton in as many races. He started behind Rosberg in Canada after making an error on his final lap in Montreal. He then spun during the dying moments of qualifying last time out in Austria.
Top three (from left): Jenson Button, Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel will head the field for Sunday's race
Fitting: Button celebrates claiming a place in the top three as he wore a helmet in tribute to his late father
After starting ninth at the Red Bull Ring he fought back through the field to finish second, and he will need a similar virtuoso drive to restrict the damage caused by his qualifying howler here.
'I don't have anything to say at the moment,' a dumbfounded Hamilton said afterwards.
His boss Paddy Lowe added: 'He felt the lap was worse and bailed out which is unfortunate. There was lot of time to be found in sector three.'
Even if Hamilton recovers to finish second on Sunday - in what is expected to be a dry race - and Rosberg wins, it will see the German extend his lead in the championship to 36 points at the midway stage of the season.
There was also big shock in the first phase of this most surprising of qualifying sessions with the Ferrari pair of Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen, and the Williams duo of Valtteri Botts and Felipe Massa, eliminated from qualifying in Q1.
Plenty to ponder: Fernando Alonso was left to think after he was eliminated in the first session
Final standings: Nico Rosberg topped the charts after Q3 on Saturday
Alonso took to the circuit on slick tyres, but as more rain fell in the final minutes of the 18-minute opening session, it appeared to catch the Spaniard out as he was sent sideways in his Ferrari. It means he will start only 19th for tomorrow's race with team-mate Kimi Raikkonen one place worse off.
'I think it happens sometimes in this weather,' Alonso said afterwards. 'Thirty seconds later you put on the right tyre and you are a hero. We are here with two Ferraris and two Williams' so we did something wrong compared to other teams but we wouldn't do anything differently.
'At the moment it is unpredictable. We will start at the back with some overtakes to do, so we have nothing to lose.'
Williams' failure to progress through to the second stage of qualifying caps a miserable weekend for the British outfit.
All over: Wolff was forced to retire from the first practice session after an engine failure in her Williams
Dramatic: Williams teammate Felipe Massa crashed out in a rather more spectacular way during practice
Getting carried away: Massa's car is removed from the track but Williams managed to repair it quickly
Susie Wolff, the first female racer at a grand prix weekend in 22 years, lasted just four laps in practice on Friday while Massa then suffered a huge shunt during the same session.
It is in stark contrast to their performance last time out in Austria where they secured a front-row lockout with Massa having claimed his first pole in six years. Bottas ultimately finished third; the team's only podium finish of the season to date.
The Marussia pair of Jules Bianchi and Max Chilton both shined in the inclement conditions. Indeed the impressive young Frenchman topped the timesheets temporarily in Q2. He will start 12th.
As for Chilton, it was a personal best for him in qualifying, finishing behind team-mate Bianchi in 13th. He will however, start five places back down the grid after serving a grid penalty for a gearbox change.
Sauber saw both their drivers Adrian Sutil, in Q1, and Esteban Gutierrez in the ensuing session end up in the barriers following spins. The team are so far pointless this season in what has been a torrid campaign for the Swiss outfit.
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