A twelfth pole for Hamilton in 2016: reactions from the top 3 qualifiers!
Lewis Hamilton didn't bat an eyelid in Q3. His pole puts the pressure on Nico Rosberg, who will have to keep an eye on Daniel Ricciardo in his rear-view mirrors. Here's a summary of the trio's reactions...
Hamilton feels in perfect position for the race
The Englishman stayed ahead from start to finish today in Qualifications. Just dominated in FP3, Hamilton took control from the start of Q1 to the end of Q3. From the first laps, the momentum was in his favor: he was a second ahead of a still hesitant Rosberg at the end of the very first lap. An impeccable consistency in effort, with an improvement in Q3 in response to that achieved by his counterpart.
Perfect symbiosis between man and machine, Hamilton is in full confidence. His position as a chaser drives him to calculate nothing. His very small error in the first turn ultimately wasn’t detrimental.
“A beautiful weekend so far,” he indicated to the journalists present at the post-qualifications conference. “I knew I had the pace, so I didn’t panic after the first corner. But I really controlled the situation for the rest of the lap, ensuring to maximize my performance.”
« I had the car in a very good setup, my engineers did a very good job, and my mechanics did an incredible job, flawlessly. I wouldn’t have this 61 poles record without them. And of course, I’m in perfect position for Sunday! »
From the press conference onwards, the poleman of the day took a broader perspective given the context. This final race may be the end of a virtuous cycle for him and his team, considering the changes that will impact the 2017 cars:
« It’s strange to come here this weekend thinking it’s the last outing with this superb car. We don’t know if we will have such a single-seater next year. In any case, it was a privilege to drive it! »
Let’s remind ourselves in passing that this new personal pole brings him a bit closer to Ayrton Senna. It will all depend on the level of the Mercedes next year, but Michael Schumacher’s absolute record is now only seven away.
.@LewisHamilton started the season on 49…
#F1 #AbuDhabiGP pic.twitter.com/unT73r1whi— Formula 1 (@F1) 26 novembre /f1/actualite/21573-abu-dhabi-qualifications-hamilton-se-donne-le-droit-de-rever-rosberg-assure-lessentiel-.html
From now on, Hamilton has 55 laps ahead of him to believe in the impossible: recover at least twelve points on Rosberg to seize the drivers’ title. What is his mindset?
« So far this weekend, we have focused on securing this pole position, which I really thought I could achieve. Tonight, tomorrow morning, I will sit down with my engineers to fully understand every scenario and what I can do. Obviously, I want to win the race! »
Powerless against Hamilton, Rosberg does the bare minimum
The leader of the world championship drove at a tone below his main rival. The driver with the number 6 still excelled at the very end of Qualifications. Ahead in the first two sectors of his final lap, he gave way to a new attack from Hamilton.
Clear-headed, he acknowledged afterward that it simply wasn’t possible for him to improve the best time.
« I came here to be on Pole, I’m not overjoyed today. Lewis did a very good job, he was a few tenths faster. It wasn’t possible for me to achieve that time today, although I gave it my all. »
« It was great to go to the limit and be flat out. I felt good in the car, I really had a very good balance. I was getting better and better in Qualifying. I did a very good lap at the end of Q3 but it wasn’t enough.
As we all know, there will still be opportunities tomorrow. I will race for the victory! »
The threat will therefore come from behind, with Daniel Ricciardo, in third, who will start on super-soft tires. The championship leader will need to ensure a good start, as he will be starting from the dirty side of the track.
« We are confident in our tire choice for the start of the race. I am optimistic. »
On a global level, the Mercedes team continues to further write the legend of Formula 1. The Silver Arrows have left only one pole position to their rivals, that of Monaco, to Daniel Ricciardo. Just like in 2014 and 2015, this is proof of exemplary consistency.
Ricciardo, first referee of the final fight!
Fairly discreet during the first two parts of the Qualifications, the Australian emerged at the best moment. Seven and five tenths behind Verstappen after Q1 and Q2, he dominated his teammate and Vettel; then Räikkönen in the final stint to secure the third spot on the starting grid.
The whole challenge for him will be to make a good start and to hinder the Mercedes. Especially since car number 3 will start on super-soft tires.
With a bit of luck, our different tire strategy will put us in the fight tomorrow. Third was the goal set, we are happy!
“We had to try something!” said Daniel Ricciardo regarding his strategy. “It’s been a trend for us this year, as soon as we are in a position to qualify with different tires; it provides an extra opportunity.”
« I was rather slow until Q3, but I managed to pull it off. We now hope to be as high tomorrow (in the top three) »
Thus, even though Hamilton’s performance was amazing, Rosberg is still well positioned with this second place. Everything will now depend on the race scenario. Will the leader of the overall standings be mentally strong enough to avoid the traps and especially not to succumb to the assaults of the drivers behind him? His car can allow him to avoid the pitfalls.
But the epilogue is still unpredictable: it definitely remains to be written…
Stars in the night 🌟 #F1Finale #AbuDhabiGP #F1 #Quali pic.twitter.com/tPyXHvo2Ca
— MERCEDES AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) 26 novembre /f1/actualite/21573-abu-dhabi-qualifications-hamilton-se-donne-le-droit-de-rever-rosberg-assure-lessentiel-.html
