Lewis Hamilton has expressed his delight after qualifying on pole for Sunday’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
The 2008 world champion has struggled since joining Mercedes at the start of the year, regularly bemoaning his car’s performance following a string of mediocre results and again complained about his set-up after Friday’s final practice session.
To add insult to injury, team-mate Nico Rosberg has been one of the star’s of the season so far, often leaving the field trailing in his wake in qualifying, but this time it was the Brit who set the pace on Saturday, coming home ahead of Rosberg to seal pole, with the Red Bull duo of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber coming home third and fourth respectively.
Another home favourite in Paul di Resta will start fifth on the grid but it was a disappointing session for championship contenders Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso who could only manage ninth and tenth.
However, the day was all about Hamilton and his performance was extremely encouraging following the almost constant issues with his vehicle during the opening seven races of the season.
The 28-year-old won at the track the same year he won his only world title and is now desperate to give the home fans something to cheer in Sunday’s race.
“It’s an incredible feeling – it feels like [his previous Silverstone pole] 2007,” he told BBC Sport. “The crowd have been great – such a great turnout – that was a lap for them.
“I hope we can do something special in the race. It’s phenomenal because I haven’t been feeling 100% comfortable in the car.”
Link Dafabet