He left it late and even had a big oversteer moment at the penultimate corner, but Lewis Hamilton did enough to secure with the five-time world champion quick to dedicate his 85th career pole to his friend and the Mercedes team’s non-executive chairman Niki Lauda.

Hamilton was overcome with emotion on hearing he had done enough to take pole in the Principality, the Briton pipping Mercedes team mate Valtteri Bottas by just 0.086s.

Brimming with emotion, Hamilton climbed out of the car and leapt up onto a nearby catch fence to celebrate with the fans.

“This is definitely one of the best poles I can remember,” said Hamilton. “We have had a lot of success over the years but I can’t remember one that means as much as this one. It has been such a difficult week for the whole team, and personally it’s been a difficult weekend