Hamilton delighted to battle it out with Ferrari: reactions from the top 3 qualifiers!

Hamilton loves a fight!

The trend is clear: a fast Lewis Hamilton is above all a Lewis Hamilton who is comfortable in his sneakers. Despite Nico Rosberg’s retirement, the Briton has found a new rival to match: Sebastian Vettel, in his Ferrari. And just like in Melbourne, the Mercedes driver had to fight hard to secure the pole position, improving his final run by more than two tenths.

This has been an interesting day! However, there was a challenge; usually, we have more attempts. We only had the morning session this time. We were hoping to find a solution for the car’s balance, as the Ferraris look so fast. We knew it would be tight. It was necessary to make a perfect lap: I managed to improve my time with each lap, and I followed my plan. I am very happy and grateful to the team.

Always a little higher, Hamilton continues his impressive streak on the Shanghai circuit. On a broader scale, he is now undefeated for six consecutive qualifications, spanning the end of the 2016 season. And in the record books, this 63rd pole brings him within two units of his all-time idol: Ayrton Senna. But to reach this milestone, he will surely have to battle against the Ferrari drivers in the future. Lewis Hamilton definitely enjoys the fight:

« We are fighting against these guys (Ferrari). It’s very exciting, I’m a fan of Sebastian, so it’s great to be able to fight with him and push my limits. It’s crazy! This is how this sport should be! »

Until then, the driver marked with the number 44 will have to resist the pack on the Chinese track. Especially since the forecasted rain could complicate matters further.

« I haven’t driven with the new rain tires yet. It will be a new lesson for me if it rains. Tomorrow could be one of the most exciting days I’ve had in a long time! »

6th pole in a row 💪

63rd pole overall 👏@LewisHamilton was super in Shanghai today #ChineseGP 🇨🇳 pic.twitter.com/8NIu4JgWxB

— Formula 1 (@F1) April 8, 2017

Vettel wants to race today!

Faster in FP3, the Ferrari driver still showed his satisfaction at being on the front row again, just one thousandth ahead of Bottas.

I enjoyed this day although I think I could have been a bit faster. I messed up a little on the brakes in the final braking of my last lap. We can still improve in qualifying. But it was a nice session.

The victory in Australia, however, has raised the ambition of the four-time world champion. The Italian car seems more competitive than its German counterpart under race conditions. Even though the driver in the red suit is well aware that the development race is just beginning.

« I think our car is good, but it also depends on what those guys are doing », he stated, pointing to his rivals at Mercedes.

« The weather conditions will be different tomorrow. Maybe we could fill the car with gas and race now, because I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow! »

Bottas doubles back to third

As it was two weeks ago, the former Williams driver misses the front row by a whisker. After the 25 thousandths in Melbourne, here is the exasperating thousandth for Valtteri Bottas. A minuscule gap that the Finn was at least able to summarize with his fingers:

« That doesn’t amount to much, that’s for sure. It’s really a shame that he managed to get between us. We still start in a good position with first and third place. We expect a good battle on this track, as often! »

New to his team, Bottas once again demonstrated strong corporate spirit by highlighting the work under pressure carried out by his mechanics and engineers.

The team did a good job in a very tight timeframe during the practice session, to adjust the car’s setup. It was enjoyable to drive!

A slender personal consolation, the driver with the number 77 can nonetheless take pride in contributing to the evolution of records. More than four seconds separate the 2015 pole from the one achieved by his teammate this year!