Lewis Hamilton admits he will have his hands full once again with Felipe Massa in the run down to the first corner for Sunday’s European Grand Prix.
Hamilton was pipped to pole position by just two tenths of a second, but the British ace reckons that Massa’s advantage in the first sector is enough to make his life difficult in the 57-lap race.
“It will be a close fight again with Ferrari, but as you saw in sector one, Felipe destroyed everyone,” reflected the McLaren driver. “They’re going to be the car to beat, but we’re going to push as hard as we can to do so.”
“We’ve done a great job so far. Our approach has been as good as ever. We’ve come here with a strong package, and at least we’re close to the Ferraris.
“I’m quite happy with the job we’ve done today, and being on the front row puts us in a good position to fight for a win, so I’m very, very happy.”
Massa pulled off a daring overtaking move on Hamilton in the run down to the first corner in Hungary which effectively set up his race. Lewis admits that he will be looking to repay the favour, but will not be taking any unnecessary risks.
“It’s just important we get a good start. I’ll aim to challenge Felipe, but if I don’t get close enough then I will just try to keep my position.”
Felipe Massa meanwhile was delighted with his thirteenth pole position and is looking forward to taking the fight to Hamilton on Sunday.
“It’s great to be on pole position, especially after the great disappointment of Budapest, but I’m well aware the race is tomorrow and so there is still a long way to go.”
“My first run in Q3 was very good and on the second I made a good improvement in the first sector and that’s where pole came from.”
“Today, the track was still very slippery, partly because of last night’s rain. After this morning’s free practice, I thought the harder tyres would be the most competitive in qualifying, but at the start of the session, I didn’t feel as comfortable anymore and so we went for the softer compound.”
“The team did a great job in preparing for this event and I want to thank them for giving me such a strong car. I hope we can have a good race tomorrow.”
