The Briton achieves second position in Sepang after a last-minute change in the SF-26's setup. He acknowledges that tire degradation will be key in the race and trusts in maintaining Verstappen's pace who was faster in the long runs.
Lewis Hamilton has smiled again in a qualifying session, the British Ferrari driver achieved second position on the grid for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia just 298 thousandths from Max Verstappen's pole and did so thanks to a last-minute change in the SF-26's setup that allowed the team to find the balance they had been looking for throughout the weekend.
"This is the biggest crowd we've seen here, at least in my time driving so I love this energy. A big thank you to Malaysia for hosting us. It's very hot, I keep saying it but that makes it a huge challenge for the tires, for the car, for the mechanics in the garage and I'm very, very grateful to my team", Hamilton declared.
The Briton explained that the extreme heat of Sepang, with track temperatures exceeding 50 degrees, had complicated the search for an optimal setup: "We've made many changes throughout all these practice sessions and since the cars slide and these tires overheat, it was very, very difficult to find a good balance. We made a last change ahead of qualifying and I think we found the sweet spot" he added.
Hamilton acknowledged that the merit was not only his, the Maranello team worked against the clock to adjust the car to the demands of the Malaysian circuit and the result was a lap that allowed him to sneak into the front row ahead of drivers like Isack Hadjar, Kimi Antonelli and his teammate Charles Leclerc: "Being able to close the gap to two or three tenths with Max, who has been so fast all weekend, is great. I'm very, very grateful" the Briton stated.
Despite the satisfaction with the qualifying result, Hamilton was cautious about the prospects for the race: "I'm much happier with where the car is but tomorrow is a completely different game. Making these tires last on this track... I mean, they overheat from the start so every little slide you have, every little movement, depending on the wind, makes a difference to how far you're going to go" he explained.
The Briton knows that tire management will be decisive in a long and demanding race and trusts in having found a balance that allows him to stay in the fight: "Max was really fast in his long runs, so I'll try to give the best of myself to hold on tomorrow" he added.
Leclerc, for his part, did not have the same fortune. The Monegasque who had been the fastest in FP2, stayed in fifth position after suffering balance problems in Q3: "I started losing performance from Q2, particularly when I started pushing the car. The rear started to suffer a little more and by the time I got to Q3, that was too much so I was a bit unbalanced for Q3" Leclerc explained. Despite the disappointment the Monegasque showed himself optimistic ahead of the race: "Overall, it hasn't been a bad qualifying. I think Lewis did an incredible lap, on my part it's P4 tomorrow. Everything is to fight for with the guys ahead. It should be an interesting race" he concluded.
Ferrari faces Sunday's race with optimism, Hamilton will start from the front row and Leclerc will do so from fourth position, with options to fight for the podium if he manages to manage the tires better than his rivals.
The Scuderia has demonstrated a competitive pace in Sepang and the team trusts that the race will be an opportunity to score valuable points in the fight for the championship.
