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Lewis Hamilton heads to the Russian Grand Prix preparing for “a fight”, although he appreciates that his situation could have been much worse after enduring a nerve-racking qualifying session at the Sochi Autodrome.
Hamilton came close to missing the top 10 after a crash involving Sebastian Vettel had raised the red flags with just over two minutes to go, leaving the six-time F1 champion with no time in the board.
Once the session restarted, Hamilton managed to cross the start and finish line to begin his fastest lap with 1.25 seconds to spare, finally reaching Q3 and claiming pole position 96 of his Formula 1 career.
“It was one of the most difficult qualifying sessions that I can remember as everything was so rushed, there was panic and all kinds of things happened,” said Hamilton.
“And then obviously timing once you’re there, and then just having to calm down and find my center, calm my heart and want to deliver in Q3.
“I’m very grateful to everyone for staying calm, and it could have been much, much worse. I could be outside of the top 10, so I’m very grateful to go racing.”
Hamilton, however, is compromised by the fact that he starts on the soft tire compared to the medium runners behind him in Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and his teammate Valtteri Bottas, while he is ready to be outclassed in the long term until the first. main corner.
Head of Mercedes Motorsport Toto Wolff has already stated that Hamilton faces a tough question to secure what would be a career-high 91 victory.
“Usually I hope one of these two [Verstappen or Bottas] come flying at some point, “assessed Hamilton.
“Obviously, I’m on the worst tire to start the race. Generally, it’s a good tire to start with, but it has the most degradation, 10 times more than any other tire, so it will be a struggle.”
“I don’t know if that puts me in two stops, unlikely because the pit lane is too slow, so I will have to take care of those tires as much as I can.”
“These guys, if they manage, are going to walk away, so I’m going to try to find out if there is a different kind of career I can do to maintain my position.”
Before you leave…
Overthrowing Vettel at the Russian GP qualifies as a “bonus” for the ecstatic Russell
Pérez takes a 180 degree turn after praising Racing Point for its “great support” during the Russian GP
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