Hamilton struck first in Melbourne

Lewis Hamilton starts the 2016 season like the previous one. The pilot Mercedes dominated qualifying controversial of the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne by setting a time of 1'23"837, relegating his teammate Nico Rosberg, who remained on six poles in a row at the end of the last season, to three tenths. The three-time world champion won the 50th pole of his career in F1 and thus gets closer to Ayrton Senna’s 65 poles.

“The team has set the bar even higher than last year. It’s a source of motivation for me.”, declared the Australian Grand Prix pole sitter at a press conference. “The settings were perfect, it was a great time behind the wheel. My laps were exciting, I didn't make any mistakes. It’s a dream for every driver. »

Nico Rosberg is significantly less optimistic than his teammate. “I had a good lap in Q3, but Lewis just did a better job.”, admitted the German. “Mercedes has worked really well this season because our lead over the competition is significant. I'm not really happy with this second place, but there are still opportunities for the race. »