Mercedes AMG PETRONAS driver Lewis Hamilton is conscious of the opportunity that passed him by in qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
After barely making it through Q2, the British driver needed to improve on a drying track. He set a high bar at the start of the final session, initially beating Nico Rosberg. His second run was cut short though, as Fernando Alonso spun in front of him.
“I would never have expected to come around that corner and see Fernando facing me! I was four tenths up at that point and feeling really happy with the balance of the car, so pole was there for the taking.
“But this is racing and I’ll do my best from second.”
Unaffected by the incident, Rosberg would go on to grab pole, ensuring Hamilton will start from the dirty side of the grid. Despite this, the three-time world champion still believes he has a strong chance.
“A great start would help – it’s about time I had one! In practice I felt like I was getting the procedure right, so I’m really hoping to finally get a good one off the line tomorrow.”
“It’s a long run to turn one so there’s opportunity there and that could make all the difference. My long run pace this morning was pretty good, so hopefully it’s going to be a good race.”
Toto Wolff was overall pleased with both drivers and the result in general. “Overall, a topsy-turvy session but a great result and the perfect starting places for tomorrow’s race.”
“But this is Hungary and we always see action on Sunday afternoons, so we know there is still a very long way to go. We need to prepare well tonight and run through all the scenarios if we want to achieve our potential tomorrow.”
