Packed for the grafter
SILVERSTONE ROARS AS LEWIS GRINDS IT OUT
LEWIS HAMILTON said he left ‘no stone unturned’ in his quest to gain ground on Red Bull – and he delivered in style.
The reigning champ was all smiles after last night’s qualifier for the inaugural Sprint race as he somehow dragged his Mercedes into first spot.
Hamilton even parked his dislike of the simulator in order to give his team the best chance of overhauling their main rivals for this year’s championship.
He turned up at Mercedes HQ in Brackley yesterday morning, putting in the hard yards ahead in a determined bid to keep Silverstone as his happy hunting ground.
And it paid off spectacularly as he left Max Verstappen stunned – although a wobble on his second lap appeared to have left him in a little bit of trouble.
However, his first was sufficient to take the plaudits and leave the Dutchman trailing.
Hamilton said: “I was in the simulator early this morning – using it as a practice session – because it’s the first time we’ve ever had the morning free.
“I’m putting in the time, trying to give absolutely everything and leave no stone unturned.
“My first lap was great and the second one was looking even better but I just lost the back end on the last corner. My heart was in my mouth as I crossed the line to be honest.”
Silverstone is Hamilton’s spiritual home. He has seven victories to his name on this circuit and is not going to give up his title – or his record on this track – without a fight.
He was aided by team-mate Valtteri Bottas, who blazed a trail ahead of him, allowing his 36-year-old to pick up valuable time in his wake.
But with Red Bull eyeing their sixth straight victory, the pressure was on to deliver. And the British driver did just that.
After the times were confirmed, he leapt out of the car and charged over the track to salute the grandstands – and they responded by giving him a rapturous ovation.
Hamilton said: “Doing this on your own turf is incredible.
“As I was coming around the final corner, I could see the crowd – it was reminiscent of my first pole in 2007. I couldn’t have done it without them.
“But, it’s just one step forward. We’ve got the Sprint which is going to be incredibly tough but we have the car in a good place. That’s where my work is done over the next two days.”
Verstappen claimed there were gremlins with his own car that caused the upset.
He said: “There was a lot of understeer so I couldn’t attack.”