Saturday: Hamilton and Mercedes did not expect to be on pole

Lewis Hamilton – 6th and 1st:

« I was really surprised when the guys told me over the radio that I was on pole today. It was a good lap but I thought Sebastian had done enough. So it’s fantastic – just like getting three consecutive pole positions. It’s nice to start at the front but, as we know, the race is where we score points. As for tomorrow, it’s a challenging circuit for overtaking but it’s a long way to the first corner, and Seb and the Lotus cars are very fast. We have a good car but the race will mostly be about how we use the tires. We are working hard to improve this aspect and we had some good long runs yesterday. We will have to see how it goes because it will be tough with such temperatures. I would love to be able to fight with the guys around me, a good fight, and the goal must be to score as many points as possible. »

Nico Rosberg – 8th and 4th:

Our speed was a bit of a surprise today because the car’s settings were based on good race pace this weekend. But it worked well in the high heat. It’s great for the team to start 4th and on pole position. I hope we can get a good start even though I’m on the dirty side of the grid. Qualifying didn’t go perfectly for me in the end, my brake balance adjuster got stuck, so I couldn’t change it during the lap. It cost me a bit, but pole was not possible today. We are looking forward to tomorrow now, and I’m confident we will be better in the heat than in the last race.