Lewis Hamilton Denies Using a Popular Tactic to Grab Pole Position

In an exciting qualifying at Portimao, Lewis Hamilton finished at P1 and will start at the pole position on Sunday. The silver arrows have locked out the front row with Valtteri Bottas at P2, followed by Max Verstappen at P3 and Charles Leclerc at P4.

In the FIA post-qualifying press conference, Hamilton denied holding back till it mattered. He explained, “He’s [Valtteri] always been at the top and so I really, really had to just continue to dig and continue to believe that I could eventually get there.

“Yeah, coming across the line and getting the poles, it was a great feeling naturally because I really had to work my socks off for it.”

READ MORE- Hamilton Pips Bottas To Portimao Pole In Thrilling Portuguese GP Qualifying

Hamilton added that he doesn’t believe in hiding anything or holding back. He stated that he has seen people trying to do something like that, but it never ended in their favor. He further added, “That’s never been something that was part of my philosophy.”

Valtteri Bottas was the fastest all weekend. In FP1, in FP2, and in the Quali as well. That was until Lewis Hamilton’s last lap, where the runaway champion turned things around and topped the Finn’s lap time.

I’ve been digging all weekend to find that extra time: Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton was talking about his pole position, and he gave due credit to Valtteri. He said, “Valtteri has been so quick this weekend. As you’ve seen, he’s topped every session. So I’ve just been digging and digging and digging to find that extra time.”

Hamilton claimed it was great to come through with a pole position, but it was not easy. He pointed out, “It just doesn’t come easy, so I’ve been pushing all weekend.” 

Lewis further stated that winning is a long process. He explained, “It’s like building a wall; you put one brick, the next, the next and you just continue to improve throughout and there’s a lot of work that goes in the background.”

Lewis Hamilton secured his 97th pole position this weekend. He could very well break the record for most wins this weekend. Lewis predicts that the smoothness of the track and difficulty with tires is going to make his weekend-long battle with Valtteri much harder.