Hamilton relishes new-feel Formula One
Lewis Hamilton stunned Formula One when he took third place on his debut in Australia last year but it will be no surprise if he wins Sunday's season-opener
The 23-year-old McLaren driver powered to pole position on Saturday in a sign that the sport's new regulations will only play to his strengths.
In a mark of just how far he has come in 12 remarkable months, the Briton sounded almost disappointed with his performance at Albert Park.
"I can do better, for sure," he told reporters.
"Being on pole is a great feeling but there are always improvements that you can make."
The pole position was Hamilton's seventh in 18 starts, a phenomenal strike rate.
There are plenty of former champions, and even a double champion in Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi, who did not rack up that many in their entire careers.
"It was a bit nerve-racking at the beginning and we don't really get a great lap," Hamilton said of the new-look qualifying that has cut the final part of the three-stage process to just 10 minutes.
"We were held up and it wasn't really easy to find the gap today. Finding the gap was a lot harder than I have experienced in the past."
Formula One has also ditched the traction control and electronic 'driver aids' but Hamilton said he relished the challenge.
"I really do like the new regulations that we have," he said.
"Driving with traction control is slightly different, obviously, than driving without it, but it really brings out the best in all the drivers.
"You really have to push yourself. But, you know, the feeling in the car is great. The car feels fantastic."
Hamilton's new Finnish teammate Heikki Kovalainen qualified third but revealed afterwards that it might have been very different.
"The boys (mechanics) worked last night until 5.30 a.m. as they had picked up a problem overnight and managed to fix what potentially could have been a hindrance in the race," Kovalainen said.
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments