Malaysian GP: Hamilton says pole was just his banker lap
Lewis Hamilton reckons his Mercedes Formula 1 team's advantage in the wet is bigger than it looks, after setting his pole position time on a banker lap
The Mercedes driver moved to the top of the timesheets early on before pitting for fresh extremes, but his final run was ruined when he ran off the track after finding it tricky to see in the wet.
That meant his first run was his best lap, and he claimed that it was nowhere near as good as he could have done.
"For the first lap in Q3, we have to be a little bit more within the limit to make sure you definitely get a lap in, just in case you have something like I have happens or there is a yellow flag," said Hamilton, who just edged out Sebastian Vettel to grab pole for the Malaysian GP.
"But the most important thing is to get a banker lap, maybe eke out a bit more time. But it doesn't matter. I got what I needed out of it."
Hamilton said his last run did not come together because of the visibility issues and some time lost stuck in Nico Hulkenberg's spray.
"It was very difficult to see - that was the trickiest part particularly at the end," he said.
"I was stuck behind Hulkenberg who slowed down on his lap. I thought he was coming in, and he looked like he was coming in because he went wide on the final turn, but as I got to start the lap he came across so I was stuck behind him.
"I couldn't see a thing as it was like driving through thick fog. And that was the lap that I needed and I should have had to really get pole. So I am so glad or happy that the lap I did before was good enough."
Although closest rival Sebastian Vettel nearly wrestled pole position away, Hamilton reckons that if he had delivered what he was capable of then the gap would have been much bigger.
"If I had another lap as Sebastian did, I think I would have been able to eke a bit more time out," he said.
But Vettel also said he did not produce all that he could have done after missing out on pole by 0.055 seconds.
"For my first attempt I felt there was a bit of time to gain here and there, so obviously very, very close; too close because definitely the margin was possible to go that much faster," said the Red Bull driver.
Malaysian GP: Adrian Sutil seeks Formula 1 wet tyre improvements
Malaysian GP: Jenson Button feels qualifying tyre gamble worthwhile
The inconvenient questions posed by Vettel’s Williams run
Sebastian Vettel's demo laps on board his own Williams FW14B was not only a great spectacle for the fans, but were carried out with a fully sustainable, carbon-neutral fuel. And it begs the question - for all of the money F1 has spent on championing hybrids and electric components, could it go back to V8s or V10s with a similar kind of fuel?
The pioneering pair who brought a new glory era to an F1 heavyweight
With the team’s founder now retired and a new boss at the helm, change was coming to Brabham – change that would shape the future of Formula 1. In the third part of our four-part history of Brabham, DAMIEN SMITH examines the effect Bernie Ecclestone had on the team
The combination behind the Silverstone racing battles Hamilton called "F1 at its best"
OPINION: The late battling in the British Grand Prix wowed Formula 1 fans and surely represents the best racing action of the season so far. And there was a cocktail of factors that created the action, from which Carlos Sainz emerged as a popular new winner
How Ferrari’s Monaco headache became its Silverstone migraine
OPINION: Ferrari won the British Grand Prix with Carlos Sainz, but it ultimately cost Charles Leclerc a chance to make a bigger dent in Max Verstappen's title lead by leaving the Monegasque out on old tyres towards the end. Like Monaco, indecision over strategy proved to be the Scuderia's biggest issue - and if the team doesn't reflect, the headache can only intensify
The five factors behind Sainz winning a British GP he’d twice lost
Formula 1 has a newest race winner, in a grand prix the victor appeared to have lost twice, only to charge back to headline a sensational and dramatic British Grand Prix. From a massive start crash to a late sprint finish, here’s how five factors saw Carlos Sainz take his maiden grand prix win
Why there was no case to answer in Aston’s latest F1 copycat saga
The appearance of a revised Aston Martin in Spain caused controversy but PAT SYMONDS explains why the FIA investigation found the Silverstone team had no case to answer
Why it's Red Bull that really leads a three-way fight so far at Silverstone
After a slow start to Friday at Silverstone, all the Formula 1 teams had to effectively cram in a day’s worth of practice into one hour. But there was still plenty to learn and while Ferrari topped the times, a three-way battle is brewing ahead of the British Grand Prix
Why the future is bright for the British GP
It wasn’t so long ago the situation looked bleak at Silverstone with the future of the British Grand Prix under threat. But a transformation has seen it restored to one of the most important races on the Formula 1 calendar, with bigger and better to come