Lewis Hamilton was left eating his words after conjuring a qualifying lap that was even a mystery to him.

After yesterday's practice sessions for the German Grand Prix, Hamilton claimed he definitely could not challenge for pole after finishing a second adrift of Red Bull's Mark Webber.

So less than 24 hours later, just how the McLaren driver managed to split Webber and his team-mate Sebastian Vettel, finishing just 0.055secs adrift of the Australian, is near unfathomable.

"I'm kind of speechless," said Hamilton after clinching his first front-row start since the second race of this season in Malaysia.

"I want to get the recording of the on-board footage because I would love to see the lap again.

"I'm on such a high right now, a real natural boost because I honestly didn't expect to be so high up, and I don't think anyone did in the team.

"On my heart we were not fast enough yesterday, and although we had some upgrades we were not expecting to be as fast as the others.

"Today, I don't know what it is, but we dialled in the car a bit more, found a little more time, with my lap above and beyond the limit.

"I don't know where the time came from, I really don't.

"So it's great to be able to split the Red Bulls, and it's great to be ahead of the Ferraris, so I eat my words from yesterday.

"It was as perfect as I could do it. I don't know how I could make it any more perfect. It's one of the best laps I think I've ever done in a car."

Hamilton felt after all the recent criticism of the team, including from himself, today's performance was an ideal riposte.

"I'm ecstatic, and I hope the guys in the team and factory are too because I would not be in this position if it was not for the work they have done," he added.

"We've faced a lot of flak, and maybe we've been hard on ourselves. I know I've been hard on myself and the team because we did a great job here."

For Hamilton, it is now a question of translating his second place on the grid into a positive result, with heavy rain forecast to hit the Nurburgring.

"Fingers crossed we can have a huge one tomorrow," he said.

"It's definitely going to be tough, but at least a small part of the battle has been done today because to be this high up puts me in a much better position to fight.

"But right now, second place has never felt so good in my life. It really feels fantastic, one of the best feelings I've had for a long time.

"To be honest, this is beyond my wildest expectations."

Hamilton's stunning qualifying pace means that for the first time in 15 races - since last year's Italian Grand Prix - runaway championship leader Vettel is not even on the front row.

Vettel, though, is far from concerned.

"I have a much better feeling for the car today compared to how it felt yesterday," said Vettel.

"It means I'm now looking forward to tomorrow, and if it's dry then we've a very good chance, but it might not be the case, so we will see.

"With the weather here you never know. Rain is forecast and on the way, with the only questions as to when and how much we will have?

"In the end it doesn't really matter."

Webber, who achieved his maiden pole and victory on this track two years ago, is now halfway towards a repeat and with it closing the sizeable 80-point gap to Vettel in the standings.

"My form's been getting a little better the last few races, and also this circuit has been quite good for me in the past," said Webber.

"Personally, I couldn't have done any more. I was on the complete limit, so to be on pole is very satisfying."

The Ferraris of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa line up fourth and fifth, with Mercedes' Nico Rosberg sixth, and Jenson Button a lowly seventh, over a second off the pace of team-mate Hamilton.

Force India's Paul di Resta lines up 12th, four places behind team-mate Adrian Sutil.