Saturday Review – Hamilton as Great as the Great Wall of China!

Very little separates Ferrari and McLaren Mercedes at the moment, with their four drivers neck and neck. While the Scuderia seemed to slightly dominate the events, it is Hamilton who grabs the pole for the China GP. He proved bolder than ever to edge past his teammate and his two competitors Räikkönen and Massa.

Alonso, for his part, made a small but costly mistake, as he will only start from the second row in 4th position. The last corner (No. 16) is dangerous if concentration is not at its maximum. The Spanish driver discovered this in qualifying.

Lewis Hamilton – 3rd and 1st

“A very good qualification for me and the team. I was quite confident because we were fast enough to beat Ferrari here; however, they were very strong as well, especially in the fast corners.”

“The tire option was once again decisive for today’s qualifying, but we must also keep Sunday’s race in mind. I always expect a very close fight for tomorrow’s race, but we have a good strategy, so I am optimistic.”

Fernando Alonso – 2nd and 4th

“To be honest, it’s not an ideal result for me, I really thought I wouldn’t make any mistakes in my laps, but I’ll start again on the second row and the forecasts for tomorrow predict rain.”

“This one might be able to help me. Something could happen in the race, so I haven’t given up and I’ll be 100% focused on a possible victory.”

Ron Dennis – Director

“The two drivers did a very good job. We expect it to rain tomorrow, and the best place to deal with these conditions is to start from the front of the grid. This race should be exciting.”

“Our competition will always be strong, but if all goes well with our strategy that we will have tomorrow, we will have a clean race and it will be a great fight for the championship.”

Norbert Haug – Mercedes Motorsport Director

“A perfect job from Lewis. Fernando will start from the second row and still has every chance in the race. With rain expected tomorrow, it was crucial to be at the front of the grid, but naturally, we are certain that the competition will be tough.”

“This is the eighth pole position for the team in the last 12 races, which proves that our overall strategy is good.”