What an exhilarating Friday night it turned out to be for the Mercedes F1 pair Lewis Hamilton and George Russell! The very first session of the Qatar Grand Prix suggested that the Brackley outfit might just be a tad slower than their rivals, Ferrari and McLaren, hence potentially succumbing to yet another weekend of underwhelming results.
However, turns out, that Lady Luck stood by Hamilton and Russell’s side this time around, as what seemed like a possible P6 and P7 reformed into a top-three finish in qualifying. Yes, you heard it right! Russell will be lining up on the front row while his teammate will be lining up directly behind his arch-nemesis and soon-to-be three-time world champion, Max Verstappen.
A juicy line-up for an exciting race under the lights indeed! But, here’s something even more interesting! Hamilton has publicly revealed that he will be challenging Verstappen for the race victory despite the evident pace deficit. By the looks of it, Hamilton might attempt to jump both his teammate and his rival at the start and hopefully complete the move before the end of turn 1.
Lewis Hamilton constantly lifts up all the drivers, a true role model 🫶 pic.twitter.com/VUkXZW2oNl
— Marina (@xxoMarina) October 6, 2023
However, practicality suggests that it might not be as easy for the seven-time world champion. While, on one end, Verstappen would likely have recorded his third world championship victory by then, on the other, there’s Russell with pretty much nothing to lose.
Hence, with two young drivers looking to maximize their results, there is a higher chance that Hamilton might just end up in an ugly tangle rather than a dreamy, clean, and easy move past the duo. But, regardless, here’s what Hamilton had to say about his forthcoming battle on Sunday.
Can Lewis Hamilton secure his first race victory since 2021 in Qatar?
During the post-qualifying press conference, a rather chilling and relaxed Hamilton was asked about his target for Sunday’s main race and the drivers he’d be battling. And without even a slight hesitation, he replied, “With everyone around me.” The interviewer reiterated the question, only this time, with the name Verstappen.
#QatarGP 🇶🇦: Lewis Hamilton says his battle on Sunday is “with everyone around me.”
To which Tom said “not the man in the middle” referring to Max and Lewis said “hmm no, I’m battling the guy [Max] to the right of me for sure.” 🔥🔥😭
— deni (@fiagirly) October 6, 2023
Tom Clarkson suggested, “not the man in the middle,” pointing at a happy-looking Dutch pole-sitter. Then arrived the classic reply from the seven-time world champion. Hamilton said, “Hmm no, I’m battling the guy [Max] to the right of me for sure.”
It has indeed been a long time since Hamilton locked horns with Verstappen, and the entire F1 community would do anything to rekindle the inferno. Hence, could the upcoming Qatar Grand Prix be the fire-starter in the Hamilton-Verstappen rivalry 2.0?
