“He would have been ahead” – Lewis Hamilton admits Max Verstappen crash ‘gifted’ him Saudi Arabia pole position
“He would have been ahead” – Lewis Hamilton has labelled the Jeddah Corniche Circuit the “wall of champions everywhere” after Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen crashes.
Charles Leclerc crashed his Ferrari during free practice, while Max Verstappen narrowly missed pole position after his right-rear hit the wall at the dead-end of qualifying.
This has led Lewis Hamilton to label the Jeddah Street Circuit – the fastest street racing circuit – as the “wall of champions everywhere” circuit.
“It’s how you approach the corners. It’s where you do and don’t attack and try and define the right balance of being on that knife-edge, as you could see for Max.
“Obviously, we were all on the edge and there is a wall of champions everywhere here. [It is] A really complex track and incredibly quick.”
Alonso and Ricciardo watching Verstappen’s crash 👀 pic.twitter.com/bg1nuxNvhx
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) December 4, 2021
Hamilton ‘grateful’ for Saudi Arabia pole
Verstappen was set to take provisional pole, something that is a massive disappointment for Red Bull. Hamilton is, of course, delighted, and is looking to keep the title battle alive with a win here.
“It always feels better when you are happy with the balance you have, happy with everything and it kind of runs a bit smoother.
“This one was more heart in your mouth for all of us. Yeah, we got that lap right at the end, which in the end was good enough.
“If Max had finished his lap he would have been ahead. Regardless, I’m happy, grateful and now we just have to work as a team from there.
“Collectively it’s about being smart and working together as a team, which we all do exceptionally well. It’s a night race, a new track, lots of unknowns but we’ll be pushing.”
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