MY FIRST POLE
“Turning in to the corners, it’s
easy to have a lock-up, or miss
the apex slightly, so it’s just getting
the lap together and the car well
balanced. My last lap was a good
one, good enough for pole so
that’s good.”
Hamilton was magnanimous
despite his personal
disappointment and afterwards
admitted that Bottas’ arrival in the
team was keeping him focussed
and motivated.
“Valtteri is keeping me on
my toes and he really deserved
that lap,” said Hamilton, who lost
fractions of time in the second
sector and then at the final corner
on his last lap.
“A first pole position? It is just
amazing. You dream that as a kid
and, tomorrow, it could be his first
Grand Prix win. He did a great job.
And it is always nice to see good
things happen to good people. He
deserved it.”
Bottas added: “I feel much
more comfortable with the
car than I did in qualifying in
Melbourne. The more time you
spend with a car, and driving it,
you get more at one with the car.
“It is good to keep making
progress and getting better all the
time. And it is great to get pole
here under the floodlights and
against Lewis.”