Lewis Hamilton's illusion of having earned a pole start in the Sprint race of the 2024 Chinese GP lasted just a few seconds. Then Lando Norris' time, initially cancelled, was put back on the scoreboard by SQ3, thus relegating him to second place the seven-time world champion of Mercedes. However, after four extremely difficult races at the start of the championship, this qualifying – although 'dedicated' only to the Sprint grid – was a breath of fresh air for Hamilton. Thanks to the rain that fell on Shanghai in the last part of the session and the extremely slippery asphalt, which enhanced the driving qualities of the British champion.
“Qualifying was complicated, in treacherous conditions – commented Hamilton to Sky Sport F1 – there wasn't much grip and there wasn't any for anyone, but I'm quite happy. As soon as I saw the rain coming I started to get excited because in normal conditions we weren't fast enough, so when the rain came I felt I had a few more opportunities and that's when my qualifying came to life. In the Sprint it will depend on what the weather conditions will be: if these are the case maybe we will have the chance to stay in front, but if it is dry the Ferraris and Red Bulls will naturally arrive. Maybe we will be able to keep the others behind, concluded the Englishman”.
#Hamilton #rain #thrilled