LEWIS WON’T Hamilton expects to struggle RAIN THEM IN
BRITISH GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING - SILVERSTONE
DEEP down, Lewis Hamilton knows where the 2022 version of his Mercedes car belongs… and it is not on the first two rows of a Formula One grid. The gap between his team and the Ferrari and Red Bull operations remains significant yet he was still “gutted” at only finishing as the best of the rest at a sodden Silverstone yesterday afternoon.
He clearly thought the fervour of the drenched fans, his own motivation and brilliance, along with the treacherous conditions, might have helped him interrupt the dominance of the four front-running cars.
It was not to be but you can rest assured Hamilton will push himself and his underperforming machine to the limit in today’s race.
“I’m a little bit gutted really because we have such a great crowd here and I was pushing so hard to get on the front row and fight for pole position today – and I think we could have been in the top three,” he said.
“I was gunning for second at least and so to end fifth, it makes tomorrow tough but I know I’ve got this amazing crowd with me so I’ll try to push forward.”
Realistically, it would probably need mechanical failure from the cars up the road for Hamilton to have a chance of winning a ninth
British Grand
Prix.
He said the upgrades to his car were not significant and admitted that he would have had no chance of qualifying higher had the heavens not opened over the famous
Northamptonshire track.
As the forecast for this afternoon does not, at the moment, include any rain, that does not bode well for the seventimes world champion.
And the chances of his team-mate George Russell getting on to the top step of the podium – or any step of the podium – are also slim after an error that saw him slip to eighth.
He said: “As the session progressed, everything just got slightly worse.
“I had really good confidence in Q1 and was in the top three for the majority, and then sort of didn’t have that come Q3 when it mattered.
“The car definitely had the pace to be P4 or P5 today. I made a mistake when it mattered on the last lap.”
The third British driver, Mclaren’s Lando Norris, put in a strong performance and will line up alongside Hamilton on the third row.
But after Carlos Sainz claimed his first pole in 150 races, the fight for victory will almost certainly be between the Ferraris and the Red Bulls.
Maxverstappen is next to Sainz on the front row with Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez third and fourth respectively.
Vertsappen, who kept control of his car after a 360-degree spin, was full of confidence after the thrilling session but will not be a popular winner.
“If they want to boo, they can do that,” said the world champion.
“It’s not going to change anything. I am happy being here and it’s a great track.”
The sound of Verstappen being jeered brought a wry smile to Hamilton’s face. He knows exactly why it happened.
But Hamilton also knows that the best response would be for the home hero to take the chequered flag.
It looks extremely unlikely but do not put it
past him.