George Russell once again beat all odds to grab a pole position at the British GP qualifying. However, what will please the Mercedes management and fans is Lewis Hamilton locking out the front row alongside Russell. It will perhaps not please the seven-time champion himself, though, as per Martin Brundle.
The Silver Arrows were blowing hot and cold throughout the three practice sessions in Silverstone. However, they scrambled to strike a balance in both cars that would give their drivers an edge over their rivals.
That is precisely what happened in the qualifying as Russell grabbed the provisional pole. Hamilton snatched it away from his teammate with a scintillating late lap in Q3, only to lose it back a few seconds later.
That will leave him displeased, as per Brundle. While commentating for Sky Sports F1, the former F1 driver said, “Lewis will be miffed with that. He’s driven a stormer and young George has swooped in front of him for all the glory.”
Lewis Hamilton’s first front row of the season #F1 #BritishGP pic.twitter.com/PfTyBDOfoK
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 6, 2024
Both drivers alongside Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, and Oscar Piastri, lost time in the first sector compared to their first flying lap. However, each of them improved in the second sector, making for a thrilling end to the qualifying. That was exactly how it turned out as Verstappen made up a position to finish P4 over Piastri.
For a moment it looked like Hamilton made a place too, to land the pole position. But, it was not to be for the #44 driver. Not much can be said about whether he was “miffed” over losing the place. Yet, he was certainly happy with the W15’s performance and thanked the team for their efforts in the post-qualifying interview.
Hamilton prepares to work with Russell to keep Norris at bay
Hamilton losing out to Russell in qualifying is pretty much the norm for the 2024 season. Speaking after the Monaco GP qualifying, the 39-year-old himself ruled out the possibility of out-qualifying his teammate. While some believe it reflected his downbeat mindset, others felt it was a tongue-in-cheek comment, insinuating a ‘sabotage’ against him.
The comments at Silverstone debunk that theory as Hamilton admitted he was pleased with the car’s performance. What was furthermore surprising to hear was his willingness to put his personal ambitions on the back-burner to fight against Norris in P3 together with Russell.
Hamilton said, “I feel really confident about the car tomorrow and I think with the conditions we have, we can work together to keep Lando behind.”
A Mercedes front-row lockout has been a rare sight in the ground effect regulations era. Thus, both Russell and Hamilton would want to capitalize on this golden opportunity to bring home a 1-2 for the Brackley outfit, just like they did in Sao Paulo in 2022.
