Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen took pole position for the showcase Monaco Formula One Grand Prix on Saturday with world championship leading German team mate Sebastian Vettel alongside him on the front row.

The pole was the Finnish 2007 world champion's first since the June 2008 French Grand Prix and the 17th of his career.

Britain's triple champion Lewis Hamilton, six points behind Vettel in the standings after five races, suffered a major blow when he failed to muscle his Mercedes into the top 10 and qualified only 14th.

The triple champion will move up to 13th after Jenson Button's 15-place grid penalty is applied. Button, a stand-in for Fernando Alonso at McLaren while the Spaniard competes in Sunday's Indianapolis 500, qualified ninth.