"To be amongst the top British drivers is a real privilege, I'm so grateful, and I hope I can continue to represent my country and make people proud."
Given the woeful conditions it was arguably one of the best poles of Hamilton's career as the heavens opened 45 minutes ahead of qualifying, forcing a 50-minute delay before the cars could finally take to a treacherous track.
Fortunes fluctuated over the three sessions, as did the intensity of the rain which continually forced drivers in and out of the pits as they switched from intermediate tyres to full wets.
Come the conclusion it was Hamilton who again emerged top of the pile, as was the case a fortnight ago in the season-opening race in Australia.
The rain certainly proved a leveller. Although Mercedes dominated in the dry in final practice, Hamilton only just edged out Vettel.
Both men will now be hoping to make it to the chequered flag after being forced to retire early at Melbourne's Albert Park.
For Hamilton, victory would not only raise his own spirits, but - given Mercedes' title sponsor is Malaysian oil and gas company Petronas - he hopes it would also lift a nation still in mourning in light of the tragedy surrounding missing Malaysian Airlines flight 370.
"I'm obviously in the best position I can possibly be, and it would be a dream to win the race, and I'll do everything I possibly can to do that," said Hamilton.
"It would also be a special race to win given the incident that happened a few weeks ago with the plane.
"Hopefully, as a team, we can shine some light on this country and Petronas, and dedicate it to them maybe."
Rosberg and Hamilton were a second quicker than their rivals in final practice so a dry race will likely result in a battle between the two, should reliability hold.
The rest will be picking over the scraps, with Fernando Alonso fourth on the grid in his Ferrari and team-mate Kimi Raikkonen sixth, with Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo sandwiched in between.
Alonso avoided a penalty for a collision with Toro Rosso's Russian rookie Daniil Kvyat early in the second session, with the stewards deeming neither man to be at fault.
McLaren's Jenson Button lines up 10th after admitting to making an error in tyre choice in Q3, whilst Marussia's Max Chilton starts 21st.
Williams' Valtteri Bottas has been penalised for the second straight race, but this time of his own making.
After dropping five places in Melbourne for a gearbox change, the Finn falls three on Sunday - from 15th to 18th - after being found guilty of impeding Ricciardo.
Under the new licence system Bottas also collects two penalty points, with the addition of a further 10 over the next 12 months leading to a one-race ban.
