Lewis Hamilton, one year and a half later, back in pole position
The British driver has secured his first pole position since the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2021. The Mercedes driver is savoring it as if it were "his first".
He waited a long time. 595 days. Since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, and this Saturday, July 22nd, Lewis Hamilton has experienced a drought in qualifications. The British driver, known for his expertise in this area, as he just secured his 104th pole position, struggled against tough competition. And also, due to a Mercedes that was much less performant than in previous years.
The seven-time world champion went to get this pole position in the final moments, at the Hungaroring. He was one of the only drivers to improve his time during the second attempt, in Q3. Number 44 managed to beat Max Verstappen by three thousandths of a second.
« I lost my voice »
Once back in the Parc Fermé, the British driver couldn’t contain his joy. « I’ve had a crazy year and a half. I lost my voice from shouting in the car. It’s an incredible sensation. I’m very grateful to be on pole because the team has worked really hard. We pushed so hard all this time to finally get a pole position. It feels like it’s the first time », exclaimed the British driver.
The Mercedes driver managed to find the appropriate settings on his car. His weekend had started off difficult, as he was wandering at the bottom of the standings, before making a remarkable improvement during the last free practice session and finishing at the top of FP3.
Taking care of Norris and Verstappen
The new qualifying format worked out well for him as he didn’t get caught off guard, unlike his teammate George Russell, who was eliminated in the first phase, Q1.
The Grand Prix will be another matter. Lewis Hamilton will have to resist the attacks of Max Verstappen, visibly annoyed about not starting from pole position. We will have to keep an eye on Lando Norris’ start from third place, as he will be ready to seize his chance.
« I need to try to find sleep tonight. Tomorrow, I think we’re going to study as hard as possible. We’re going to give it our all as a team. It’s going to be difficult to compete against those two guys. You know, Lando [Norris] did a fantastic job. It’s great to see McLaren at this level and Max [Verstappen], he’s always there, always doing what needs to be done. »
