Hamilton stunned by result: 'I didn't even expect top five'.

After qualifying, Lewis Hamilton was stunned. "We didn't expect this at all. We had a very difficult weekend and we were outside the top ten almost the whole time. For me personally, with all the changes, I was just hoping to finish in the top ten. My goal was to end up in Q3 and then try everything and fight. But I definitely didn't expect to be in the top five. To then suddenly find myself on the front row of the grid, that's great. I am very grateful and proud of the whole team", the seven-time world champion told Ziggo Sport.

The performance of the car, however, has not changed overnight according to the Brit. "We have been changing everything all the time and tinkering with the setup. We've turned the whole car upside down. We tried everything to get the potential out of it. And there were moments when we thought, 'Maybe the car just doesn't like these circuits', with Monaco and Baku. But when I drove out of the garage in qualifying I knew immediately, this is the setup that works. It was much better!"

Mercedes even better during the race?

The setup for Mercedes clearly worked well on Saturday, but will the same be true on Sunday? "I have no idea if the setup will also work well during the race. During practice we were good in the long runs, but not good at all over one lap. We have a new setup now, but I don't think it will have a huge impact. I even hope we'll have a better car tomorrow," Hamilton concluded.