Kimi on pole after Hamilton crash

NURBURGRING, Germany -- Kimi Raikkonen claimed pole position and Lewis Hamilton was involved in a high-speed crash in a dramatic qualifying competition for the European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring.

The British driver's world championship leader lost control and hurtled into a tyre wall after the front right tyre of his McLaren-Mercedes exploded.

Hamilton was not seriously injured though and as he was carried from the wreck on a stretcher he waved and gave the thumbs up.

"I'm absolutely fine and we will see later if I am able to race tomorrow," the McLaren driver said in a team statement after being taken to German military hospital for a precautionary CT scan.

"I really hope I can race," added the 22-year-old rookie.

Team boss Ron Dennis said he would be surprised if the Briton was not able to start but Hamilton would have to remain under observation for a few hours and be passed fit by the team's specialist.

"I'm pretty optimistic but I don't want to make any predictions," he said.

Dennis added that the terrifying 240kph shunt was caused by a wheel gun failure.

The wheel gun is used to attach the wheel to the chassis of the car and in this instance the wheel was not properly secured, causing it to blow under the pressure of a high-speed corner.

"At least it was not a car failure," Dennis continued.

The crash is the first major setback in Hamilton's dream rookie campaign, he has finished on the podium in all nine races of his career so far but it remains to be seen whether he will be fit to take part in Sunday's Grand Prix.

Qualifying was halted for over half an hour but when the racing resumed Raikkonen pulled out a flying lap on his final attempt to claim pole position.

Fernando Alonso will start from second but the Spaniard admitted that it had been difficult to concentrate as he worried about the condition of his McLaren teammate Hamilton.

"I think Lewis is OK and that is the best thing to come out of this qualifying," Alonso said.

Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa was third fastest ahead of German Nick Heidfeld in a BMW Sauber who qualified fourth.

Heidfeld's Polish team-mate Robert Kubica will start fifth and share the third row with Australia's Mark Webber of Red Bull Racing.

Renault's Finn Heikki Kovalainen will start from seventh ahead of Jarno Trulli in a Toyota.

Trulli just outpaced his team-mate and local favorite Ralf Schumacher who will be ninth on the grid just ahead of Hamiton, if the Briton is able to race.

Alonso was quickest in the first 15 minute mini-session of qualifying which is used to weed out the slowest six cars.

On this occasion that meant Spyker's two German drivers, debutant Markus Winkelhock and Adrian Sutil, were eliminated and will start from the 11th, and final, row of the grid.

Surprisingly veteran Scottish Red Bull driver David Coulthard will start on the second to last row of the grid just behind Torro Rosso's Italian Vitantonio Luizzi.

Coulthard had gone well in practice earlier in the day and will be bitterly disappointed to be starting so close to the rear of the field.

Liuzzi's teammate Scott Speed was also eliminated and the American will be joined on the ninth row of the grid by Honda's Jenson Button.

Massa went fastest in the second mini-session ahead of Alonso and Hamilton as once again the slowest six drivers were knocked out of the qualification tournament.

This time Japan's Takuma Sato and Britain's Anthony Davidson, both of Super Aguri, were the first to go and will start on the eighth row of the grid.

Directly ahead of them will be Honda's Brazilian Rubens Barrichello and Italian Renault driver Giancarlo Fisichella who will be 13th on the grid.

Williams team-mates German Nico Rosberg and Austrian Alex Wurz were the final drivers to be eliminated and will take their places on the sixth row of Sunday's grid, starting 11th and 12th. E-mail to a friend