Hamilton: “The last sector made the difference”

Lewis Hamilton earned his 11th pole of the season, the 83rd of his career, by winning qualifying for the Abu Dhabi GP. This is the 4th time that the five-time world champion has managed to take first position on the grid at the Yas Marina circuit, his last success dating back to 2016.

If the Briton set the new lap record with a time of 1'34''794, the gap over his teammate Valtteri Bottas was close since the Finn failed by less than 2 tenths. The poleman believes he made the difference at the end of the lap.

“My first lap was not very spectacular because I had exceeded the track limits several times and the rear axle was sliding quite a bit, explained the pilot Mercedes. The second attempt started calmly, but I got more and more aggressive as the lap went on. The last sector made the difference, I gained 4 tenths. »

Lewis Hamilton will be aiming for an 11th victory this season this Sunday, which would also be the 73rd of his career and his 4th in Abu Dhabi.