Saturday: Hamilton claims pole for Mercedes, Rosberg in the top 3
Lewis Hamilton secured pole position during the qualifying session ahead of Nico Rosberg, with both men seeing Daniel Ricciardo slotting in between them. The Brit is thrilled with his performance but knows that the most important part is yet to come. Rosberg would have liked to do better but is determined to be more competitive during tomorrow's race.
Lewis Hamilton (No. 44) – 4th and 1st
So far, everything has gone quite well for the Briton during this first race weekend of the year 2014: « It has been an interesting weekend so far here in Melbourne. Qualifying was much more difficult for everyone with tricky conditions, and it was a real challenge on the track today. We were on the edge with the tires, and it was hard to know what the lap times would be. »
Hamilton knows that pole position is not everything and that it will be necessary to be strong in the race tomorrow: « I drove the car to the limit in the rain, but it was enjoyable and I am happy with the work done by the team. Being on pole here today is a fantastic result for us. It was a lot of fun and I am looking forward to the race tomorrow. It’s going to be tough, but we will do our best and see what happens. »
With this 32nd pole position, Lewis Hamilton equals the record for pole positions by a British driver and also marks the 100th pole for Mercedes as an engine manufacturer in F1, which delights him: « I am very proud to have secured the 100th pole position for Mercedes-Benz in Formula 1. I have always driven with a Mercedes engine since my debut in 2007, and the entire Mercedes team has done an incredible job preparing for the challenge of these new rules. It is also special to equal the pole position record for a British driver set by Nigel [Mansell]. I owe it to the amazing people I have worked with throughout my career. »
Nico Rosberg (No. 6) – 1st and 3rd
The day wasn’t easy for the German, but he is satisfied with the result: « It was a really tricky qualifying session today. Starting from 3rd on the grid isn’t ideal, but it suits me. »
Even though he’s not on the front row, Nico Rosberg knows he has a good car for the race: « I know I have a good car for the race and that makes me confident. With a good start, I should have a good chance of securing a good result. »
The Mercedes driver expects an interesting Grand Prix with critical parameters to manage: « It will be a very interesting race because fuel consumption and tire wear will be at the limit. So there might be some surprises tomorrow. »
