Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton takes pole position for Hungarian GP; Vettel, Grosjean next

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Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain, right, shakes hand with Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany, second fastest time, after the qualifying session, at the Hungaroring racetrack, near Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, July 27, 2013. The Formula one race will be held on Sunday. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

BUDAPEST, Hungary – Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton will start from pole position for the fourth time this season after setting the fastest time at the end of qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday.

The British driver seemed surprised when his team announced over the race radio that he had beaten three-time defending Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel.

Hamilton clocked 1 minute, 19.388 seconds, just ahead of Vettel’s best lap of 1:19.426. Red Bull and Mercedes have combined to take all 10 poles this season.

Lotus driver Romain Grosjean, who was fastest in the final practice session, qualified third for his best grid position of the season.

The track temperature on the Hungaroring circuit reached 122 degrees and stifling temperatures are expected for the race on Sunday.

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