F1 News
Hamilton buzzing after qualifying on pole for sprint race: "Left no stop unturned"
Despite making a mistake in the final sector, Lewis Hamilton was able to beat Max Verstappen to secure pole position in Saturday's sprint qualifying race for the British Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver beat rival Verstappen for P1.
This evening qualifying session forms the grid for tomorrow's 100km dash. The sprint race will form the grid for Sunday's British Grand Prix. Yet that's not the only change. The drivers only had one hour of practice ahead of qualifying, but Hamilton didn't waste time during the morning.
"I was in the factory on Tuesday, again we had this morning free so I thought 'let's not sit around waste time'. So we did a practice session on the simulator. To try and develop, we're squeezing every ounce of performance from this thing. I'm over the moon. It's been such a long time since I've been able to get anywhere near. This is incredibly special. To do it on your home turf, there's no greater feeling. This is only the first bit, the race tomorrow is going to be incredibly tough," Hamilton said in a conversation with David Coulthard.
"I don't know what they were doing. They were quick in that practice session. We were just staying focused on our job. I was in the simulator this morning using it as a practice session. Putting in the times, giving everything leaving no stone unturned. The first lap was great, the second was looking even better but just lost the back-end in the last corner. My heart was in my mouth as I crossed the line. Seeing the crowd, I couldn't have done it without them here."
The fans
Under a pilot event from the UK government, Silverstone is sold out with 140,000 fans this weekend. Hamilton felt the full force of the crowd in qualifying.
"We've been missing this for a whole year. I am so grateful to see everyone here. To come to the Silverstone Grand Prix, and with a full crowd like this, you can feel the energy. This is down to the fans I think," he added.
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