F1 | Saudi Arabian GP | “If Max had finished his lap they would have been ahead” says Hamilton after a 1-2 Mercedes qualifying
The title battle just got spicier – Hamilton and Verstappen had been fighting all night in Jeddah but Verstappen crash on his final lap handed Mercedes the front row.
Lewis Hamilton secured his fifth pole position of the season in Jeddah but admitted his title rival Max Verstappen would have gotten P1 if it wasn’t for his final-corner accident.
A MASSIVE POLE POSITION FOR LEWIS HAMILTON IN JEDDAH!!! 👊
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) December 4, 2021
AND VALTTERI MAKES IT AN-ALL BLACK ARROWS FRONT ROW! 💪 #SaudiArabianGP pic.twitter.com/D9ItiikDsb
The inaugural edition of the race at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit is set to be unforgettable. Hamilton clinched a pole while his team mate Valtteri Bottas completed the front row for Sunday’s race with a Mercedes one-two. On the other hand, Verstappen crashed on his final flying lap – a lap which seemed destined to demote Hamilton to second on the grid.
Soon after Qualifying was over, the current champion explained just how difficult he had found the session.
“I generally just struggled through the whole of qualifying, through Q1, really struggled to get grip from the tyres, which was something that we haven’t necessarily struggled with all weekend.
“But it was way, way worse in quali… I was off, you know? I was even behind Valtteri,” explained Hamilton.
“But I can’t tell you how much of a knife-edge it was [on],” he added. “I was struggling with the car, and so at the end, I think the first lap [in Q3], the first run was so-so. Again, I just struggled with a lot of snaps – I had that big snap in Turn 8 and then that last lap was just all-or-nothing. But still, not as quick as I would have hoped... but it was the best I could do.”
The Mercedes driver has also explained how the brand new Jeddah circuit was lined by the ‘Wall of Champions’ – a nickname usually attributed to the final corner at Montreal, where the likes of Jacques Villeneuve, Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill have crashed in the past.
“It’s where you do and don’t attack and trying to find the right balance of just being on that knife-edge,” he continued.
“As you could see for Max, obviously, we’re all on the edge. And there’s the Wall of Champions everywhere here! So, a really complex track, and incredibly quick. It was enjoyable though. Intense, but enjoyable”.
“I think this one was a bit more ‘heart in your mouth’ for all of us. And yes, we got that lap… which in the end was good enough, but if Max had finished his lap they would have been ahead. So, regardless, I’m happy, grateful, and yes, we just have to work as a team tomorrow from there.”
