Never out of the running–even when it appears that he might–Lewis Hamilton leads the pack yet again.
MONTE CARLO, Monaco—May 25th—Just when it seemed as though Valtteri Bottas was going to win another pole (it would have been his fourth of the season), Lewis Hamilton snatched away the prize this afternoon in the streets of Monaco. Hamilton’s feat, which came on his final attempt at qualifying, was his first pole since the opening round in Australia. Max Verstappen captured third in his Red Bull.
Those three–Hamilton, Bottas, and Verstappen–are the top three qualifiers for one of Formula 1’s most prestigious and widely followed affairs, The Monaco Grand Prix.
Hamilton’s fastest lap of 1:10:166 was also a track record. And that gave Hamilton something to smile about afterward. “I love it here. It is my home,” Hamilton said with emotion afterward. “This is the race that every driver dreams about as a kid, and it does not matter how many times you come here.”
“You still put everything you got,” Hamilton continued. “All the work we put in the factory, and we have arrived in a great car and a great battle with Valtteri (Bottas). He has been great all weekend, and it was the desire and the will to get this pole. It means so much to me. I had to dig deeper than ever, and I am grateful for my team, and the lap was amazing, and I feel beautiful.”
Hamilton on Qualifying Day in Monaco (photo, Stamford Advocate)
But early in the qualifying sessions, it didn’t look as though Hamilton would get into the top two. Sebastian Vettel struggled, too, but managed to take the fastest time, while Verstappen succeeded in taking the second. But when it mattered, Hamilton dug deeply on his final lap and grabbed the pole for the first time in five races.
Hamilton’s best of the day stood in contrast to the worst, namely, home driver, Charles Leclerc, Leclerc lost a chance to finish the day in 16th place and got knocked out of the opening session. That disappointment has consequences. On Monaco’s street circuit (with hardly any room to pass), the 21-year-old from the Principality won’t challenge either Hamilton and Bottas, and cannot assist teammate, Vettel during Sunday’s race.
Vettel himself ended up fourth. Pierre Gasly was fifth. The American Haas F1 Team had Kevin Magnussen take sixth, while Daniel Ricciardo was seventh–his best grid spot for race day so far this year. Carlos Sainz Jr. took ninth, and the two Toro Rossos–Dani Kvyat and Alex Albon–finished eighth and tenth, respectively.
For Hamilton, it was a great moment. But as the Briton explained afterward, there is a lot more to driving a Formula 1 car that it seems.
“Obviously we have a great package, but what people have to realize is that all of us drivers, we take the car–whatever car we have–we take it to the limit. We are wrestling it like a bull, or whatever you have it, and it is out of control the whole time, and we try to balance it and react to it at all times.” Lewis Hamilton after winning the Monaco pole
On this day in Monaco, Hamilton was able to tame the bull and bring yet another pennant to this mighty Mercedes team.
