“A special day” for Lewis Hamilton at Spa-Francorchamps
He finally has it: Lewis Hamilton has secured the 68th pole position of his F1 career, allowing him to join Michael Schumacher at the pinnacle of F1. The emotion is palpable at the end of the session.
Lewis Hamilton grew up with a deep admiration for Ayrton Senna. However, this does not prevent him from admiring Michael Schumacher’s track record. Joining him at the highest number of pole positions, on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, which is so significant in the German’s history, makes it all the more powerful.
Ross Brawn was present on the starting grid for the post-race interview for the fans to deliver a message from Corinna Schumacher and her family to congratulate the Briton: « Michael’s records are meant to be broken. »
At the post-qualification press conference, he did not hide his emotion: « It’s a special day for me. » He then recalled his childhood memories and the impact they had on his own career: « I remember when I came here in 1996 and saw Michael leading out of the first corner. The chills I felt in my body at that moment took my love for the sport to another level. Michael is such a legend. »
He was all the more satisfied because his lap was exceptional in securing that famous 68th pole. His second sector during his last attempt was so impressive that he was almost able to take Pouhon flat out: « The balance of the car was excellent. I’ve never felt it before. It was incredible. »
But Mercedes was denied a one-two finish by a late improvement from Sebastian Vettel. He admitted that he benefited from Kimi Räikkönen’s help: « I got a little help from a friend! I was able to slipstream Kimi in the third sector, and that probably gained me two-tenths. It wasn’t easy to brake in the last corner with so much more speed, but it worked out. » If the Finn helped his teammate, it was because he had missed out on his last lap and couldn’t improve his fourth place.
On the other hand, Valtteri Bottas, relegated to half a second behind his teammate, couldn’t explain why he had been struggling so much since the beginning of the weekend: « Since the beginning of the weekend, I wasn’t close enough to fight for pole. I don’t really know why. »
From our special correspondent at Spa-Francorchamps
