Lewis Hamilton was delighted after securing his fifth pole of the Formula 1 season after producing an outstanding lap that saw the three-time world champion almost half a second clear of the field.
The Briton endured a slow start to the weekend on Friday, fearing a repeat of Monaco after finishing 10th in second practice, but was able to fight back and claim pole position from team-mate Valtteri Bottas on his final run.
What made the lap more impressive is Mercedes has been needing two warm-up laps before starting their flying laps this season, however, after Daniel Ricciardo hit the wall causing a red flag with three minutes to go, Hamilton was left with time for only one warm-up lap. But that did not stop him from reaching his 66th career pole and now stand second alone on the all-time record list only 2 away from tying top spot with record holder, Michael Schumacher.
Speaking after the session, Hamilton claimed the performance proved the hard work the team put in following a hard Friday and admitted he was not sure what to expect on Saturday.
“I haven’t really thought of what we could do here but I’d say definitely yesterday we were at a bit of a loss in the sense that we started in the wrong place and we had to make some changes overnight,” he said.
“So to come in this morning not really knowing if those changes were going to be right, I know I’ve got full confidence in the team but still it’s very difficult with the tyres to switch them on and off.”
“Even if I got second it would’ve been awesome for one single lap, which I’m really proud of. My last lap in Montreal was pretty special but I think this one topped it.
“I went in with a lot of hope and worked just used every tool that I possibly had and more to get the temperatures and get the gap. It was do or die it was really about if there was ever a time for me to be perfect that was the time. I think it was the perfect lap.”
Moving towards the race, Hamilton did not rule a strong battle with Ferrari but is optimistic knowing that Ferrari is struggling with tyre temperatures which were initially the main strength for the Maranello-based team.
“I’ve not seen the exact gap but I think Kimi was saying the tyre temperatures were a bit of an issue. It’s unusual because it’s something that they normally don’t struggle with. So that’s an interesting fact that we have to take into account,” he said.
“I think Ferrari are still going to be there. Generally a one-stop race, so it’s going to be about consistency about how you can look after these tyres. The strategy will definitely come into play, but it’s not easy.”