Hamilton in tune with the crowd, Rosberg a good sport, Ricciardo ambitious: reactions from the Top 3!
Lewis Hamilton was back on track after his Pole in Austin! Clearly buoyed by the local crowd, he's looking forward to the race with renewed vigor. But the words of his two closest rivals are not lacking in ambition either...
Hamilton confidently leads Rosberg.
The suspense of the world drivers’ title race is somewhat revived in Austin. By securing the first pole position of his career in the United States, Lewis Hamilton continues his battle against Nico Rosberg, demonstrating that it will remain fierce. In the meantime, the Briton expressed his enthusiasm after his qualifying performance:
« It was simply incredible: I’m thrilled to be in first position! It’s my first pole position here, after trying for several years. I could hear the crowd cheering as I crossed the finish line! »
Despite this, the triple world champion remains sufficiently clear-headed about the rest of his weekend. He assures that his preparation is good, especially for the start; with the steep incline up to the first corner and a complex apex to reach.
I will prepare myself as best as I can for tomorrow, especially since I have a lot of supporters here. I worked on my starts all weekend.
In any case, the triple world champion continues to write his legend in the golden book of statistics. With 58 poles, he is now only 7 poles away from his idol: Ayrton Senna. But above all, with this first pole on the Circuit of the Americas, Lewis Hamilton secures a pole position on a 23rd different circuit, making him the sole record holder of this remarkable statistic, surpassing Alain Prost for good!
On a more local level, the 31-year-old driver also impressed by simply improving the absolute record for this track, once again proving the effectiveness of his W07!
Flash – At 1m34.999s, @LewisHamilton‘s pole winning time at @CircuitAmericas is the fastest lap of the #USGP race weekend so far. #F1 #COTA pic.twitter.com/dQMR5C0oGa
— Mobil 1 The Grid (@Mobil1TheGrid) 22 octobre 2016
Rosberg defeated but not resigned for Sunday!
The leader in the overall standings, however, expressed satisfaction with his qualifying lap, although it could be improved compared to that of his teammate. After having triumphed on both Saturday and Sunday at Suzuka, he is now beaten by his rival. With a 33-point lead, he can nonetheless wait and see:
« I did a good lap but Lewis was faster than me in the first sector. I was upset when he crossed the finish line and snatched the pole from me. It’s a shame but I’m a good sport: he deserved the pole.
As such, the German was keen to downplay the impact of the qualifying session on his chances of success for the race, while remaining convinced of his prospects:
« As we have seen this year, qualification is not the most important thing. From second place, I retain a great chance for tomorrow: there will be opportunities. »
Obviously, he is not the one under the most pressure on this side of the pit lane, as Niki Lauda rightly pointed out shortly after the session. « If Lewis Hamilton had qualified second, it would have been much more difficult for him tomorrow ». As a reminder, Nico Rosberg can now settle for four second places to clinch the Grail at the end of this season.
Ricciardo bets on an aggressive strategy
The Australian completes the top three in this qualifying session. The Red Bull driver couldn’t compete with the Silver Arrows during the crucial Q3 lap, being three-tenths of a second off Rosberg’s time. To have any chance against the Mercedes, Daniel Ricciardo will rely on his strategy. He will be the only driver among the top four to start on super-soft tires.
« Max wanted to try the softs, I was happy to continue with the super-softs. On Friday, I was a bit more comfortable than him with these tires on the long stints, which explains the reason for my choice. »
Hoping that our strategy will give me an advantage on the grid tomorrow. The car is working quite well: I now hope that the super-softs will give me the grip to take the advantage at the start. I think we have a good chance to defend for the race.
Third man in this championship both on the grid tomorrow and in the overall standings (212 points, 32 points ahead of Kimi Räikkönen in fourth), the Perth native will very likely be the luxury referee in the battle between the two drivers of the Star. And what if Daniel Ricciardo was ultimately Lewis Hamilton’s best ally in the race for the drivers’ title?
