Hamilton stars in Brazil to keep his world title dream alive
Inspired Hamilton is in the perfect position to deliver thriller in Brazil
LEWIS HAMILTON, wearing a yellow helmet in homage to his hero Ayrton Senna, gave himself the best chance of emerging unscathed through the perils of the first lap by claiming pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix.
If he manages that, he could yet pull off the second wonder of his career in Interlagos.
The first came unforgettably when rain returned on the last corner in 2008 and he took fifth place and the title as Felipe Massa’s family celebrated in the Ferrari motorhome, believing the title was their man’s.
The equation today is different. Hamilton is 19 points behind Nico Rosberg, who will start in second after a pulsating, high-quality qualifying session.
Should Rosberg win or finish seven points higher than Hamilton, he will wear the crown ahead of the last race in Abu Dhabi a fortnight today.
Rosberg said he would not play the percentages. ‘I am looking forward,’ he said. ‘I’m going to try to get Lewis into Turn One. That’s the plan. I will try everything I can.’
Another intriguing aspect is what danger will come at Hamilton and Rosberg in their rear-view mirrors. For on the second row of the grid sits Max Verstappen, whose muscular driving style marks him out as a potential interventionist in the title fight.
So Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has said, conveying a message by phone to Verstappen’s father Jos that the 19-year-old should play it safe. What was Wolff thinking when poking his nose into Verstappen’s affairs?
Naturally Verstappen, who defends himself defiantly on and off the track, was not for budging here in the paddock last night.
‘Same as always,’ he said. ‘I won’t change my approach, which is pretty understandable. We should race. Everyone. You should still fight for first; otherwise you are not a worthy world champion, are you?’
Verstappen was diplomatic, saying that Wolff was a nice person, but he said he would not be seeking him out. ‘There is no reason to talk to Toto,’ added the Dutchman. ‘I am racing for Red Bull, not Mercedes.’
Wolff, embarrased by coverage of the incident, said: ‘I just want to have a great season finale and no controversy because of another car causing a collision and being blamed for having interfered in the championship.
‘I spoke to Jos probably out of a more holistic approach of sympathy for Max, but if things are perceived in the wrong way in another team they don’t need me, they need a psychiatrist.’
Another unknown is the weather, with rain expected sometime today. Yesterday afternoon it amounted to no more than the faintest drizzle and had no great impact on qualifying.
Although the maths is stacked against him, Hamilton’s spirits are up. He arrived here with two consecutive wins and the prospect of rain today offers further hope.
He is the master in the wet, while Rosberg does not want or need anything out of the ordinary to upset the equation. Hamilton’s confidence was clear as he prevailed in a blistering, will-he-won’t-he end to qualifying. Hamilton (right) set the fastest time in sector one; Rosberg then beat it; Hamilton responded decisively in the last two sectors to take the honours by one-tenth of a second.
It was the Englishman’s 60th pole, a remarkable number that leaves him only eight off Michael Schumacher’s all-time standard. He is helped, of course, by the car he is driving. It was their 19th pole out of 20 this season, another for the record books.
Tempers frayed at McLaren as Jenson Button endured a miserable session. He was only 17th fastest, locking up, tyres smoking and half-asecond down on his team-mate, Fernando Alonso.
‘Yeah,’ said Button sarcastically to his race engineer, Tom Stallard, an Olympic silver medal-winning rower. ‘We definitely sorted those problems out, didn’t we?’ He later added: ‘The car was well balanced yesterday, 10th quickest, and today it’s completely different.’ While Button struggled, his fellow Brit Jolyon Palmer had another strong day. Just after being confirmed as staying at Renault for a second season, he was 16th fastest, having got out of the first stage of qualifying. His team-mate Kevin Magnussen was only 18th. Palmer is on an upward trajectory, finding his feet and form towards the end of his debut season. Massa of Williams, who was 13th fastest, stood on the wall to wave to the Brazilian fans on his emotional farewell to Sao Paulo. Sadly it was his worst qualifying performance here, in the 249th and penultimate grand prix of his career. But Massa, the magnanimous loser eight years ago, is irrelevant to today’s main attraction. Hamilton, who is in a good state of mind if fighting a cold, has never won at Interlagos. Rain or shine, he isn’t bothered. ‘I’m ready for whatever,’ promised the champion.