Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Circuit de Catalunya, 2021

Hamilton “ecstatic” at 100th pole after gamble on set-up change

2021 Spanish Grand Prix

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Lewis Hamilton said he felt “ecstatic” to have scored the 100th pole position of his career in qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen set a rapid pace in qualifying at the Circuit de Catalunya, but Hamilton struck back in the final phase of qualifying to claim pole position by three hundredths of a second.

The Mercedes driver revealed he made a late decision to change the set-up of his career having been unhappy with the balance of his W12.

“I had a bit of anxiety about the changes we were potentially going to make for qualifying,” he said. “We’re always trying to make the car better but it’s a bit of a gamble because you’ve got to keep the race in mind also.

“Anyway we made this change and as soon as I got out I was like ‘this is the wrong one’. It was my call at the end. But it was really hard.

“That’s why I was behind the whole way through qualifying. I was making small tweaks here and there to try and elevate pace-wise.”

“The set-up that I made I just had so much understeer,” he added. “The car was so lazy, wouldn’t turn into the corner the way I want. So you’re waiting and waiting and waiting.

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“I was making small adjustments within what we’re able to change in order to get the car to turn. And that’s a combination of many things. And then it’s just pulling every millisecond together.”

He broke through to the top of the times on his first run in Q3. “The first lap was the best lap that I got throughout the whole session which was great,” said Hamilton. “I tried to improve the next lap, I think I was a tenth and a half up, but then I couldn’t keep it.”

Hamilton achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first driver in Formula 1 history to achieve a century of pole positions. “I can’t believe that we’re at 100,” he said.

“Really it’s down to the men and women that are back at the factory that are continuously raising the bar and just never giving up. The support that I have, it’s been a dream for me to work with these guys.”

Hamilton had already scored 26 pole positions when he joined Mercedes from McLaren at the end of 2012.

“The journey that we’ve been on has been immense,” he said. “Who would have thought in 2013 or 2012 when we made the decision to partner that we would be qualifying at 100. So feel very humble, very grateful and I’m ecstatic like it’s my first.”

“I’ll always remember that one,” he added.

2021 Spanish Grand Prix

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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8 comments on “Hamilton “ecstatic” at 100th pole after gamble on set-up change”

  1. Go Champ go!

  2. A legend it is nice being a brit i knew who schumi was that was it but in 07 i remember watching the first race in full the USA grandprix where Hamilton a rookie had Alonso absoloute shook. Alonso was weaving over to the pitwall on the straight trying to force Mclaren to get Hamilton out the way. The horrible races like China where Hamilton made evryone look silly that day in terms of pace. Hamilton should have just pitted and played it safe inexperiance cost him he wanted to humiliate the field. Also i am so thankful for the fact Mclaren kept breaking down in 2012 if Ham won the title in mclaren in 2012 we are looking at a for sure 2 time wc and possibly a 4xWC. I feel Hamilton would have ended up at Ferrari in 2017/2018. And when you see Vettel it is obvious to anyone Hamlton has the little bit extra in the races than Vettel he would of made the difference.

    I genuinley do not think i woulda stayed watching F1 if Hamilton was trundling around in Mclaren like Alonso and Button was. Now we know what we know that Hamilton was the better Merc driver it would of been horrible to see Nico Rosberg being a 4/5 time worldchampion. Luckily i have started following other drivers now so when Ham is gone i am set in Charles Leclerc and George Russel.

  3. when there is sprint qualifying would there be 2 poles? cus there will be 2 races

    1. No pole position will be decided in a 1 hr session on a friday. Then the sprint race results determines the main race. It is the same in the races you will not have a F1 victory in the record books if you win the sprint race.

    2. Asking the right questions @f1fan-2000!

    3. liongalahad
      8th May 2021, 17:01

      I think they should count only the first one, i.e. the hotlap quali not the sprint race. I don’t like this messing with stats!

  4. Any Hamilton fans remeber 2012? I bet now like me looking back you are happy for how unreliable Mclaren was. I hated life in F1 at the time when Seb was racking up titles. 2013 was my worst year of watching F1. I was even chearing for Alonso to stop Vettel. I can only imagine not being a fan of Lewis and what it has done to people. The Alonso fans are the best imo they have had it the hardest, no title since Hamilton or Vettel enterd the sport yet clearly Alo was on Lewis’s level. Being a Vet fan must be hard too there was alot more on this site back when he was dominating. Seeing a driver you claim was by far the best and deserved every thing he had coming apart at the seams must of been hard. Seeing a teamate beat you’re guy is the worst feeling for me as an F1 fan so watching Leclerc come in and do that i can just imagine what i would feel if it happen’d to Hamilton. Good thing is Hamilton willl have a big exucse if it ever happens and that is age.

  5. Congratulations, it is unbelievable! From a purely statistical point of view, however, this piece of data is equally important to the fact that Ernesto Prinoth failed to make the field, after qualifying 27th in his only World Championship attempt. Just kidding, of course… :-)

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