Saturday: Mercedes dominates, Rosberg on pole, Hamilton second
After an accident in FP3, the diligence of the Mercedes mechanics allowed Lewis Hamilton to participate in qualifying. However, he faced a very quick Nico Rosberg who seemed unbeatable today.
Nico Rosberg (No. 6) – Pole position
The German delivers one of his best qualifications of the year: « The balance was perfect, so I was able to attack a lot and go to the limit in the corners. It’s always a great battle against Lewis; we push each other a lot in these sessions. Sometimes he finds a tenth, sometimes it’s me. That’s why I enjoy this situation so much. »
He thinks he’s ready for the race: « Even on a wet track, our car is very fast as we saw at Spa this year. So I’m really looking forward to the race here in Japan. »
Then he thanks the Japanese fans for their enthusiasm and their small gifts.
Lewis Hamilton (No. 44) – 2nd
Responsible for a crash in FP3, the Englishman was able to rely on his mechanics to participate in the qualifying session.
He states: « today I felt good but I wasn’t fast enough. Nico did a great job, he seems really fast, especially at turn 8, but I feel like I didn’t really have the pace all weekend. But I’m still second and we’ve seen races where we’ve come back from further behind, so I’m excited for tomorrow. I heard it’s going to rain, that will make things very difficult but it will be more of a lottery. »
