Hamilton left to ponder Red Bull assault without 'wingman' Bottas
Hamilton left to ponder Red Bull assault without 'wingman' Bottas
Lewis Hamilton is steeling himself for a Red Bull assault during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix without Mercedes 'wingman' Valtteri Bottas for support.
On a rare occasion in the current turbo-hybrid era, there will not be two Mercedes cars on the front two rows of the grid at least, with Bottas starting a lowly eighth following a poor qualifying performance at Imola from the Finn.
It means Red Bull has a tactical advantage as Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen line up directly behind Hamilton after the seven-time champion claimed the 99th pole of his Formula 1 career.
Ordinarily, Mercedes has held the ace up its sleeve in having two Mercedes against one of a rival car, typically Red Bull.
On this occasion, faced with the reverse dilemma, a reflective Hamilton said: "It’s much different from past experiences.
"Very rarely have I seen… I can’t remember the last time I saw the Red Bulls so close.
"If we’re able to get off in order then they obviously have a bit of a better set of cards in terms of strategy but that doesn’t mean we can’t pull out something unique and do something different.
"I’m not really sure what happened with Valtteri. It’s very hard to overtake here so obviously we probably won’t have the support of him early on.
"Nevertheless maybe he will make it through but otherwise we’ve just got to focus on our job and try and do absolutely everything and more to keep these lads behind."
Hamilton's lap in qualifying now leaves him one away from chalking up the magical 100, although the 36-year-old has revealed the 99th was "a real surprise" to all inside Mercedes as Red Bull was expected to claim the top spot on the grid.
"The team definitely did not… anyone in the team, expected to be on pole," added Hamilton.
"Of course, that’s what I was gunning for but it really was the tidiest lap that I could put together and a little bit more.
"Whether or not it was a Singapore lap or not, it was a different vibe, but it definitely felt good."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Vettel announces F1 return as FIA single Mercedes out for Miami checks - GPFans F1 Recap
- 44 minutes ago
F1 team announce SHOCK signing weeks after rival departure
- 1 hour ago
Former team boss quizzed on role in Newey's Red Bull exit
- 2 hours ago
RB reveal STRIKING new livery ahead of Miami GP
- 3 hours ago
EXCLUSIVE: Insider claims F1 Academy and W Series couldn't co-exist
- Yesterday 19:57
Wolff delivers big verdict on Hamilton behaviour
- Yesterday 18:57
Related news
Hamilton salutes New York after making F1 HISTORY
Ecclestone ATTACKS Hamilton 'ego' after Ferrari move
Hamilton beats Verstappen and host of legends to key title
Former F1 chief suggests Ferrari making WRONG decision in Hamilton-Sainz switch
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860