Remember the name, Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion never looked like the favorite going into the weekend at Silverstone. And rightfully so, FP1 and most parts of qualifying had his rival, Max Verstappen, leading the pack by a substantial margin.
And then arrived the miraculous lap from Hamilton during the initial Q3 run, that propelled the homeboy to P1, beating the Dutchman by a whisker. Subsequently, the entire British crowd cherished Hamilton’s ‘pole’ with a huge roar of celebration in the stands.
Hamilton credits Angela for the amazing qualifying session
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The 36-year-old was quite energetic as he walked onto the parc ferme after driving his Mercedes onto the front row of the grid for Saturday’s sprint race.
During the interview, he heaped praise on his physiotherapist, friend, and assistant, Angela Cullen. He reckoned that Angela was the reason for his incredible on-track performance at Silverstone. Hamilton was asked how he managed to pull off such an incredible session despite being on the back foot over FP1.
Cute content alert. 🥰 pic.twitter.com/QkZ82AalfO
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) July 16, 2021
“With a great and amazing group of people supporting me in the background. And, you know, I couldn’t do it without Ange. She’s next to me always,” he said.
“I’ve got an amazing team and you know, without that, without this team… you know, the teamwork does the dream work. So, thank you,” Hamilton added.
Can Lewis Hamilton deny Verstappen F1 pole on Saturday?
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The drivers are set to go racing on Saturday, and all eyes will undeniably be on the two title contenders, Hamilton and Verstappen. The last time Hamilton found himself on pole was all the way back in Barcelona this season. Five races have gone by since then, and the Briton will be itching to make a comeback in front of his home crowd.
But how far is that plausible? Well, it all depends on FP2 early on Saturday. Quite a lot of drivers struggled for grip in qualifying after the minimal practice runs in FP1. Hence, FP2 will prove extremely crucial for the drivers in order to excel in the sprint race.
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So, will Red Bull figure out a way to retrieve the missing pace for Verstappen? Or will Hamilton continue to lead the way to secure only his third pole of the season?
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