Lewis Hamilton admits that he was surprised to be on pole in Hungary after feeling that he hadn’t done a particularly good lap.
“I was really surprised when I came across the line and they said I got pole,” said Hamilton. “I was expecting Sebastian to get it because he had shown some serious pace before. And it didn’t even feel that great a lap, so that’s why I was quite surprised.
“We bought some upgrades this weekend. The guys have been working incredibly hard to try to catch everyone and they’re just doing a phenomenal job. It’s a result of all the hard work they’ve put in.”
However Lewis is under no illusions about Sunday’s race, and he expects that once again Mercedes will struggle on race pace.
“It’s been the same for a long time. We don’t come into the race and it’s a surprise to us. That’s what it is. It’s great to have the pole position but it doesn’t really mean a lot throughout the weekend. Obviously the race is where we score the points. It’s going to be tough tomorrow. It didn’t feel like a disaster through our long runs but it definitely wasn’t as good as the guys next to me. So, that’s the way it is.
“We’ve got a good car, so I think if we didn’t have the tyre issues we would be able to compete with the guys in the race. It sucks in the way that I’m not able to have a race with these guys but we will do the best we can tomorrow.
“The tyre degradation is an issue and no matter what rules change or whatever solutions we find, so far, generally it seems very difficult for us to improve. But we’re just working away at it and hopefully we will get there before the rules change again for next year, different tyres come in. Otherwise it’s just trying to get as many points as we can and trying to hold on to Sebastian for as long as I can.”
Hamilton has in Hungary won three times in the past, but he doesn’t expect a repeat.
“I’ve been very fortunate to have had a good car for quite a few years when I’ve come here with McLaren and I was privileged to have the opportunity with them and obviously now we are in a good position but now I don’t envisage tomorrow being a win for us.
“We’ve got a steep hill to climb tomorrow with these tyres and in these conditions. If we did win it would be a miracle and I would be really happy with it of course but I still feel the win is a while off.”
However he acknowledged that starting from pole was better than nothing: “It definitely helps. It’s very difficult to follow here. It’s a long way down to Turn One from the start but if you can get into Turn One first, try and hold your position then it’s definitely advantageous. But looking after the tyres in these conditions is going to be, as always, trouble.”
Adam Cooper F1 