Lewis Hamilton said his Mercedes 2024 Formula 1 car “came alive” once the rain arrived as he secured second on the grid for the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix Sprint.
Mercedes had struggled through the opening segments at the Shanghai International Circuit, with Hamilton ninth in SQ2 and Russell a shock elimination down in 11th.
However, the capricious W15 car was a more competitive proposition in wet conditions and the seven-time World Champion managed to bag a surprise front row spot.
Hamilton hadn’t set a lap time in the nascent stages of SQ3 as he struggled to generate temperature in his rubber and made an unintended stop to change Intermediates.
But Hamilton, a renowned wet weather specialist, produced the goods to take provisional pole until Lando Norris usurped the competition with a lap 1.2 seconds faster.
“It was very tricky, tricky conditions, not a lot of grip as you saw for everyone,” Hamilton said. “But yeah, so happy. As soon as I saw the rain coming, I was getting excited.
“Naturally in dry conditions, we’re not quick enough, so when the rain came, and I thought I’d have a bit of a better opportunity, and that’s kind of when it all came alive.”
Hamilton will start in front of the Red Bull and Ferrari drivers, but he has conceded that it will be tough to maintain that place tomorrow unless the weather intervenes.
Asked what he can do in the Sprint, he replied: “It really depends what the conditions will be. If it’s like that, maybe we’ll have a chance of being somewhere up there.
“I think if it’s dry, the naturally the Ferraris and Red Bulls will come by. Maybe we can hold off some of the others.”
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