Lewis Hamilton starts P5 for tomorrow’s Spanish Grand Prix. Although the result might not show it, it was a very encouraging day for the seven-time World Champion. The 38-year-old was feeling positive and upbeat with the updated W14 after qualifying.
Photo credit: Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team
After finishing P3 in FP3, the Brit was fastest in Q1. He backed that up in Q2 as he was P2 behind Verstappen.
At the start of the season, Russell had an edge in qualifying. But over the last two Saturdays, Hamilton has looked much more competitive over a single lap and seems to be back to his best.
“Yeah, I’m generally really happy, I think we’ve made some really great progress with the car.
“Today for us to be fighting for P2 was a big surprise. We did some great work overnight, and the car really felt so much better this morning. I just had so much more confidence in the car.
“These upgrades have definitely worked, so a big, big thank you to everyone back at the factory, it’s massively encouraging.”
Hamilton will start P5 tomorrow as he missed out on the front row by a mere 0.086s. Such were the close margins, the Brit will only start on the third row.
F1’s most successful ever driver explained what happened on his final lap that meant he lost out. Rain earlier in the day meant the track was still damp in parts during the qualifying hour.
“If we were fighting for a championship, maybe I’d be a bit more frustrated that I lost 2 tenths in turn 10 but I’m not. I’ll try and get it back tomorrow.”
The 103-time Grand Prix winner is not looking behind him tomorrow with the likes of Fernando Alonso and Sergio Pérez looking to come through. He’s aiming for one driver only.
“I’m trying to go and chase Max. I’m just going to go and chase Max,” he concluded.
