Lewis Hamilton has called on the fans to bring all their energy on Sunday after losing pole position in Formula 1’s first Sprint Qualifying.
Starting P1 after the regular qualifying session on Friday, that was undone within seconds of the lights going out for the 17-lap event at the British Grand Prix on Saturday, as a poor launch allowed Max Verstappen to take the lead and the win.
From there, Hamilton tried all he could to re-pass the Red Bull on the opening lap but ultimately fell a few seconds back as the Dutchman claimed his fourth pole in a row.
“I wish we could redo the start again,” Hamilton stated. “It’s not good when you lose from P1 but we’ll try to turn the negative into a positive tomorrow.
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“We’ve really got to try and be in front somehow. They’ve done a great job with their engines, their starts are really great this year.
“We’ve lost a bit of performance on our starts so we’ve got to work a bit harder to try and improve that because losing positions is never a great thing.
“Then he was pulling away, nothing I could do to hold on to him. I gave it everything today.”
Another minor hit sees Verstappen also add an extra point to his lead in the Drivers’ standings, increasing it to 33.
“Every point counts,” Hamilton said. “But luckily we have [a second chance] tomorrow.”
As for the new format, the seven-time world champion does believe it has been a success so far, but hopes the Silverstone faithful are ready for one more push on Sunday.
“I don’t know how it was to watch for the fans, but I think this weekend’s been awesome,” he said of the Sprint Qualifying format.
“Yesterday was such a fun day to have qualifying on a Friday, way more enjoyable [than free practice]. It makes the weekend more enjoyable, I think.
“But I need everyone to bring their energy again tomorrow,” he added looking to the stands. “I can’t tell you the energy that I’m getting from everyone.
“The support means the world to me so I’m sorry I wasn’t able to get the win but tomorrow we fight again. I’m going to give a lot of love to all these fans.”