Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton continued to play mind games post the 2018 Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying when the British driver claimed pole position in treacherous conditions.
All weekend at Hungaroring, the Mercedes drivers have had a difficult time especially with the rear end as Valtteri Bottas admitted that the team looked third best on long runs behind Ferrari and Red Bull Racing.
But that was on dry running. The qualifying on Saturday turned out to be wet which played to the advantage of Mercedes as it was a lottery for the drivers out there. In the end, Hamilton snatched pole from Bottas by a good 0.260s margin.
Kimi Raikkonen was third with Sebastian Vettel only fourth in the Ferrari. While the Finn reckoned the car was better than before to drive in the wet conditions, but the German conceded that Mercedes was a little bit faster on the damp track.
Considering Hamilton and Mercedes had been down on Ferrari this weekend, when asked if even in an inferior car he was able to put it on pole in demanding conditions, proves anything if he is better driver or not.
He said: “Obviously, I know the answer to that question but it’s for you and the public to judge that. All I can do is try to be the best I can be every single time we get on track and regardless of ultimately mine and everyone’s opinion, the results will hopefully speak for themselves so that’s what I put all my energy into.
“In such tricky conditions with so much pressure today, hopefully the more and more and more I do, days like this, hopefully, bit by bit, maybe we will change the mentality or the thought process of fans who maybe thought one way, shift them to the other way.
“Who knows? I don’t know why but my following goes up like 100,000 every week so I’m doing something right.” The British driver has been regarded as one of the best in wet conditions and he did well to take pole after right calls from the team as well.
As the predicted weather is for a hot day, it could be difficult for Mercedes in the race. The German manufacturer will have track position advantage though with two cars in the front on a circuit notoriously difficult to overtake.
“For a track that’s usually been so good for me and worked so well for me, it’s not been really the strongest for me the last couple of years, this year and last year,” said Hamilton. “Even this weekend, if it was dry Valtteri had been quicker than me all weekend.
“Been struggling with the set-up and the feel with these tyres. The long run was so-so. The Ferrari’s were quicker on the long run – but, as Valtteri mentioned, positioning is really very key here. This is the third hardest track in the calendar to overtake.
“So, I think this is really, as I said, it’s quite a blessing. It will mean it’s probably a close race between us all but getting through the stint is going to be key, not going over the temperature limits that we have been facing.
“It’s going to be close. I can’t really tell you what’s going to happen. Just got to get our heads down and keep trying to pull away,” he explained. Vettel needs to score as much points this weekend before the summer break after scoring nothing in Germany.