“I was just waiting to have a good lap to wipe the smile off your face”: Hamilton replies to Vettel!
Skilled on the track, the poleman of the day also responds to Vettel in the press conference regarding the supposed existence of a "party mode" on the engine of his W09.
Is tension already present behind the smiles? Gathered for the traditional post-session press conference, the top three drivers answered questions as usual, posed by journalist James Allen. The engine theme naturally came up. It must be said that with this six-tenths gap over the competition, Lewis Hamilton’s pole position does not go unnoticed. But for the Briton, the matter is clear: “I don’t have a ‘party’ button, extra boost, or whatever! I use the same mode as in Q2 or at the start of Q3.”
Irritated by his modest third place, Sebastian Vettel then intervened, provoking.
Vettel: « What were you doing then? »
Hamilton: « I was just waiting to do a good lap to wipe the smile off your face! »
Even though the tone remains playful, there’s no doubt that the tension is already present for the German, who was also outpaced by his teammate Kimi Räikkönen during the session. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton clinched the seventh pole of his career in Australia, setting a new track record in the process.
More generally, the Briton reflected on his session and this new pole position, the 73rd of his career.
The other reactions from the top 3 qualifiers
First: Lewis Hamilton
« You might think it’s normal for our team to achieve such a result. Yet, it was intense: my heart is still racing! It was truly an amazing lap. I was still surprised to see the Ferrari drivers so fast. »
Wow, it feels so good kicking off 2018 with Pole Position! Thank you to the Team for your continued hard work. Sights are on the race tomorrow… #AusGP #F1 #Pole @MercedesAMGF1 pic.twitter.com/a5tnLsvp6f
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) 24 mars 2018
Second: Räikkönen
« It was a decent job. Obviously, the difference on the lap is huge… but I am happy with where we are starting the race. But there is also a lot of work to be done to improve some things on the car. »
Third: Vettel
I made a mistake on my last lap in the thirteenth corner. I tried to brake as late as possible and it didn’t work. It’s a shame to have such a gap on Lewis. We can still be happy: yesterday, I wasn’t. Everything went better and better during qualifying, we improved the car well.
« We saw on Friday that we are very close in pace during the long runs. It’s not an easy track to overtake, but we have an opportunity. »
Well done guys! #Kimi P2 and #Seb5 P3 is the final #Quali result #AusGP #ForzaFerrari pic.twitter.com/SMJhqAx7zU
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) 24 mars 2018
