After a topsy-turvy performance in the three practice sessions, Mercedes pulled off a stunner during qualifying. For the first time in the season, the Silver Arrows have locked the front row, and what a time to do it than the home race for their two drivers. Clearly, they had enough pace to beat the rest of the grid on a one-lap pace. Now, Lewis Hamilton believes they have race pace too but will have to work together to keep Lando Norris at bay.
Hamilton also credited the Mercedes crew for their work on the car. He recalled not having the best feeling in the car while driving during the practice sessions. However, they made some crucial tweaks that, as per him, have made the car feel the best it has until now in the season.
Speaking post-qualifying, as quoted on X, he said, “In practice, I felt that there was a deficit and I thought that we’d have the normal gap between us and the Red Bulls and McLarens but today the car felt so good! It felt fantastic. It’s the best the car’s ever felt.”
Congratulating his teammate for bagging the pole position at home, he added, “Really really grateful to the team who worked so hard to just finesse the set-up. And congrats to George, getting a pole on your home turf… There’s nothing quite like it.”
#BritishGP | Lewis Hamilton post quali: “We haven’t done an upgrade so the car is pretty much the same from the last race last week.”
“In practice I felt that there was a deficit and I thought that we’d have the normal gap between us and the Red Bulls and McLarens but today… pic.twitter.com/gCYz4JDzxh
— deni (@fiagirly) July 6, 2024
Hamilton dethroned Russell from the provisional pole in the dying seconds of Q3. That feat, however, lasted momentarily as the #63 driver pulled off a stunning lap despite losing time in the first sector.
The Mercedes teammates have less than two-tenths of a second separating them. However, Hamilton is more focused on keeping the rivals at bay rather than prioritizing a win for himself.
Can Mercedes pull off a win without upgrades at British GP?
Mercedes has brought a slew of circuit-specific changes to the car to enhance performance on the Silverstone track. However, none of those are upgrades that are set to stay on the car for multiple Grands Prix.
Hamilton confirmed this by revealing that he was driving the same car as the one he drove last week in Austria. That perhaps is not the best news for the Mercedes fans.
Russell and Hamilton finished P3 and P5 during the qualifying in Austria. And had it not been for the late crash between Norris and Verstappen, Russell had next to no chance to win the race. On the other hand, Hamilton only managed a P4 finish despite Norris retiring and Verstappen finishing behind him.
Red Bull, meanwhile, have brought a new floor and floor edge to Silverstone. Verstappen took some damage to his floor during qualifying and that saw him slip down the order to P4.
However, he has all the chance to make his way through the field during the race with either a repaired or a new floor. Needless to say, the Mercedes drivers will have to fight very hard if they are to win their second race of the season.
