Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton recovered from problems on Friday to push Max Verstappen hard during qualifying for the 2021 Dutch Grand Prix, the World Champion fell a tad short and will start from second, but it was very close.
Hamilton’s effort came when it mattered and without warning as until then, he had been no higher than fourth in Q2 and sixth in Q1. But he found eight tenths and was only 0.038s shy of his rival’s effort.
Compare that to Valtteri Bottas, who also delivered a faultless effort to claim third on the grid, but was three tenths down on his teammate. Nevertheless, the Mercs are well-positioned to take the fight to Max who will be going solo after Sergio Perez tripped up and failed to make it out of Q1.
Amid jeers and boos as well as cheers, Hamilton said afterwards: “That was so close. I gave it absolutely everything out there, but Max did a fantastic lap and deserved pole position.
“I’ve been trying to play catch-up after missing most of yesterday’s session, so that made it a bit more of a difficult day. Nevertheless, the car felt good out there and what an amazing track to qualify on.”
In parc ferme after qualy, Hamilton was met with boos and jeers as well as cheers at a Zandvoort packed with atmosphere.
Despite that Hamilton added: “A big thank you to the Dutch fans, I love coming to this country and I really appreciate the welcome I have received. We haven’t seen a crowd like this in a while so hopefully, we put on a good show for them.
“It’s going to be tough because it’s a challenging track to overtake on, but the strategy will play a big role. We’ve got two cars at the front, so we’ll both be giving it our all and what a track to go racing on,” declared Hamilton who leads the championship by three points after a dozen rounds.
Bottas reported: “That was a fun Qualifying session. It’s a great track to drive, especially in the middle sector where it is so fast, and also the banked corners. There’s a really nice atmosphere here, too.
“The car has been feeling good, but Red Bull were just a bit out of reach today. We’re still lacking a little bit in the first sector, particularly through Turns 2 and 3. My last lap in Q3 wasn’t the best, I was up on my time until Turn 11 but then got a bit too greedy and braked too late.
“But we have two cars in the top three and that’s important, so it’s all to play for and we’ll be on the attack tomorrow. It’s a hard track to overtake on but the start and strategy will provide opportunities, so I’m sure we will still see a great race,” predicted the Finn.
Bottas can still play a big role in where this title lands eventually starting on Sunday, as he is far better positioned to assist Hamilton than Perez is to help Verstappen while, of course, there is the matter of the constructors’ championship which Mercedes lead by only seven points. (Additional reporting by Agnes Carlier)
LEWIS: “Max did an amazing lap! I was so close to catching him, I gave it everything. He deserves pole”#DutchGP 🇳🇱 #F1 pic.twitter.com/AmZW1bfb1c
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Hamilton: I gave it all but Max did a fantastic lap - Grand Prix 247
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