Lewis Hamilton was in a better mood than most would have expected on Saturday evening as the 2008 World Champion qualified fourth on the eve of his home Grand Prix. It was a bittersweet day for McLaren in general, though, as compatriot and fellow Champion team-mate Jenson Button starts Sunday's race ten positions further back.
As Red Bull Racing dominated, Hamilton's best Q3 lap time was over nine tenths of a second slower although the man who enjoyed the top spot in 2007 remains upbeat.
“Fourth position makes me happy like you wouldn’t believe!” he smiled. “I’m so proud of my team. They’ve been pushing so hard all year but in the last couple of weeks they’ve pushed longer and harder than ever to get the upgrade package here.
“We knew we were some way off the Red Bulls on sheer pace, so my grid position was really down to getting as good a lap as possible around here.
“Honestly, I reckon this is the best lap I’ve ever done and it’s down to all the fans around here - the support around this track is like nowhere else. British race fans are the best by far. I had to nail that lap as if my life depended on it – and I don’t know how I managed to get so far up the grid. I’m so happy. The guys in front are faster than us but this race isn’t over.”
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