CLOSE…BUT IT’S A PAIN
HAMILTON FENDS OFF FERRARIS BY STORMING INTO POLE
LEWIS HAMILTON will chase history from pole this afternoon – after producing one of his best laps to land it.
The Brit said he was shaking with emotion as he battled through, pushing himself into the best position possible to land his fifth successive British Grand Prix.
Hamilton and his Mercedes kept the two Ferraris at bay by less than one-tenth of a second and he was clearly pumped afterwards, jumping from his car in front of a packed grandstand that gave him a huge ovation.
He said: “That was intense – I’ve left nothing on the table.
“I’ve had to push myself over the limit without losing it.
“It was one of the toughest positions to put the car.
“It’s the fastest track in the world. It’s flat out. So for me, with the whole build-up and intensity of this, it feels like one of the best laps I’ve had.
“It was definitely the most pressurised lap I’ve ever had.
“I was shaking with emotion afterwards – the adrenaline rush was way above anything I’ve ever experienced before.
“It’s strange because this is my 76th pole. But it’s so, so special.
“I’m just so happy I’ve been able to deliver for the fans – and the team.”
After the angst in Austria, where Hamilton and team-mate Valtteri Bottas both retired, Mercedes were in the spotlight.
And the twin Prancing Horses of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen knew it.
It was nip and tuck throughout qualifying. Vettel twice set a lap record in qualifying too, before Hamilton dug deep in the last few minutes.
Even then there was an agonising wait.
With both the German and Finn just about being kept at bay, Hamilton admitted that if qualification was anything to go by, he will have to be at his best again this afternoon.
He said of his rivals: “They’ve pulled something special out there.
“They’ve come out strong – I knew we were up against it.
“It was the hardest I can remember it being.
“It’s such a tricky circuit – both to position the car and get the maximum from it.
“It’s taken me everything to get SEBASTIAN VETTEL wanted to be a pain in the neck to Lewis Hamilton – but instead it looks like he will have to overcome one.
The German driver gritted his teeth during qualifying after suffering a mystery issue overnight.
Vettel, 31, nursed his way through but maintained he will be fit enough to take second place on the grid.
He attempted to make light of this. I knew the fans wanted it. I wanted to give everyone a boost with pole.
“But Ferrari have picked up a lot of pace today.
“I’m grateful for the team working so hard.”
With the temperatures again likely to be in the high 20s – and well into the 30s trackside – Hamilton will have to dig deep again to bring home a record-breaking sixth domestic Grand Prix overall – and his fifth on the trot.
The performance of the two Ferraris had clearly given him a lot of food for thought.
The 33-year-old added: “It’s going to be a demanding race.
“The track is the hottest it has been for a long time. The car is faster than last year.
“I definitely think it’s going to be more intense.
“We are going to be close. It’s going to be tight. It’s going to be like that all the way.” the problem but clearly it was causing some discomfort afterwards as the demanding conditions at Silverstone brought him no respite.
Vettel said: “It wasn’t the most enjoyable session – but I did it. It was fine. We had to go out a bit earlier than I wanted.
“I don’t know what has happened to my neck. It went stiff. We loosened it up and a sleep tonight will help. The speed during the race will be less than in qualifying because we are carrying more fuel so I should be OK.”
It looked for a long time during qualifying that Hamilton would be denied his dream of landing pole.
There was little to choose between the first three. Vettel knows that he has the match of the Briton’s Mercedes if qualifying is anything to go by.
Vettel said: “There’s a difference of less than half of one-tenth of a second. It’s such a