Lewis Hamilton puts Mercedes on pole at Monaco Grand Prix

Rosberg, winner from pole for the past two years on the twisty metal-fenced streets where passing is almost impossible, qualified second in an overcast final session with rain threatening.

"It's been a long time," said an elated Hamilton, whose only win in Monaco came in his 2008 championship year with McLaren from third place on the grid.

"It wasn't an easy session...I didn't have the rhythm until the last two laps.

"This is incredibly special for me," added the Monaco resident, well aware the race has been won from pole for the last six years, of his 14th successive front row start and fifth pole in six races.

Rosberg's hopes disappeared when he locked up the front wheels at the Sainte Devote corner at the start of his abandoned final quick lap to leave Hamilton 0.342 seconds faster.

"I just lost touch a little bit there towards the end. Of course you are going for it because you have to...it didn't work out, that's it," said Rosberg.

Sebastian Vettel will start third for Ferrari on Sunday, after struggling to get heat into his tyres, with his former Red Bull team mate Daniel Ricciardo alongside him on the second row.

"Overall it was a good session and our aim now is to have a good race tomorrow and try to split the Mercedes," said Vettel, whose grid place was Ferrari's best in Monaco since 2009.

Dutch 17-year-old Max Verstappen qualified an impressive 10th for his first Monaco Grand Prix with Toro Rosso with Spanish rookie team mate Carlos Sainz eighth.

Russian Daniil Kvyat qualified fifth for Red Bull, ahead of Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen and Mexican Sergio Perez in a Force India.

McLaren's hopes of starting in the top 10 evaporated but 2009 champion Jenson Button was 12th fastest and will be 11th because Frenchman Romain Grosjean, just ahead for Lotus, has a five-place penalty for a gearbox change.

Button's team mate Fernando Alonso, who predicted earlier in the week that McLaren could score their first points of the season on Sunday, qualified 15th but will also move up a place.

There was disappointment for Mercedes-powered Williams and Finland's Valtteri Bottas, who qualified only 17th with Brazilian team mate Felipe Massa 14th.