Lewis Hamilton is extremely pleased with the outcome of his qualifying session in Austria. The Brit finished fourth, less than a tenth slower than his teammate Charles Leclerc. While the Monegasque may be starting the Austrian GP from the front row, Hamilton is confident that he is now just as fast as his teammate. When asked about his chances of a podium finish during the race, Hamilton couldn’t resist making a joke about Max Verstappen.
Ferrari is on the rise in Austria. The Scuderia brought a number of upgrades for the SF-25 to the Red Bull Ring, and this paid off on Saturday with a second and fourth starting position for Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton respectively. The latter even described the qualifying in Spielberg as his ‘best qualifying session of the season’.
“When it comes to the setups, I’m finally getting much closer to Charles. I haven’t managed to do that all year,” a relieved Hamilton told the media in Austria. “In the end, I was just as fast as him. I haven’t been closer than this, because he is very fast in qualifying and he is just so used to this car.”
‘Max is not there’
Hamilton qualified at the Red Bull Ring within a tenth of his teammate. According to the seven-time world champion, this was due to a minor incident halfway through his fast lap. Otherwise, he could have challenged Leclerc for the second starting spot. “I could have gone faster in that lap,” Hamilton continues. “I was almost three tenths ahead going into turn 6, but then I had a huge moment. Then I crossed the line, six tenths behind the polesitter, so without that moment, I would have come second. So there are definitely positive points.”
The seven-time world champion was also asked about his expectations for the race, and whether he could drive to a podium finish. The Austrian GP is now known as a race where drivers often collide with each other in the battle for the race lead. At that moment, Hamilton can’t resist making a joke about Max Verstappen. “Max is not there, so…”, says the driver with a wink. “I won’t collide with anyone, that’s for sure.” Verstappen starts the race in Austria from seventh place, behind Hamilton.
