Hamilton stunned by Red Bull pace despite Mercedes front-row lockout
Hamilton stunned by Red Bull pace despite Mercedes front-row lockout
Lewis Hamilton was left stunned by the pace of Red Bull and Max Verstappen but praised his Mercedes team for the bounceback from final practice after clinching a dramatic pole position in Saudi Arabia.
The F1 title battle took another twist as Hamilton spearheaded a Mercedes front-row lockout despite being consistently slower than rival Verstappen throughout Saturday's running.
The Dutchman was fastest through the first 26 corners at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit on his final run, but hit the wall at the 27th and final turn, gifting Hamilton the top spot.
"Wow, what a tough track this is. Incredibly technical and complex," said Hamilton.
"It is amazing what they have built here track-wise, the speed around here is phenomenal.
"We looked quick through practice but for some reason P3 and particularly qualifying, we lacked in pace, struggling with the tyres.
"So for us to get a one-two, I am really proud of Valtteri and the men and women in our team who have been working so hard. This is a great result."
On whether teamwork is the key for the race, Hamilton responded: "Yeah definitely, this [front-row lockout] was the goal.
"We worked so hard through simulation, through set-up. Collaboration has been just epic with Valtteri, he is the best team-mate there has ever been in this sport.
"We worked together with the set-up and getting the car where it needs to be."
Addressing Red Bull's pace in Jeddah, the seven-time champion added: "Those guys were just so fast.
"That Bull around this track is something else. Given where we are, I am grateful for what we have managed.
"We always get closer in race pace. They have obviously fixed something with the set-up from yesterday and were rapid today. I anticipate it will be a close battle but Valtteri and I will be on it."
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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
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