British GP: Top 10 quotes after qualifying

Lewis Hamilton storms to his fifth British Grand Prix pole at Silverstone

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG F1, celebrates pole position, his brother Nicolas Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG F1, celebrates pole

Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari celebrate in parc ferme

Cla	#	Driver	Chassis	Engine	Time	Gap	km/h
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	Mercedes	1'26.600		244.891
“I can't really explain in words just how good that pole feels. A fifth Silverstone pole, equal with Jim Clark, it just feels crazy to me - it's surreal to be up there with these legends. I'm so happy with how this weekend has gone. We started on the right foot straight from FP1 and we've built up from there. I loved the conditions in Q1 - it's tough but those changeable conditions are so much fun. Then it was all about pushing to the limit as the track dried out, extracting everything out of the car. Everything has just been so perfect and I knew it was a spectacular lap - I knew that had to be it. I feel like I'm driving the best I've ever driven, so I hope the results start to show that. It's been super tight recently, so to end up with a gap of seven tenths to the Ferraris is a nice surprise. I would never intentionally get in the way of anyone. I don't think I was in the way of Romain, but if I was I apologise. The home support has been incredible and I'm so proud to take pole here again. It blows me away to see all of the flags. There's nowhere else in the world where a driver gets this kind of love and support.”
2	7	Kimi Raikkonen	Ferrari	Ferrari	1'27.147	0.547	243.354
"In qualifying the handling of my car was better than any other time this weekend and I was really happy with that. Obviously we always want to finish higher, but today we got more or less what we could. In Q1, with the intermediate tires on a damp track, the conditions were a bit tricky. It was very slippery, but it was not wet everywhere and the tires wore out very quickly. Luckily we did the last run at the right time and it was ok. After that, the track was getting better and better. My last lap felt good, but it was still a bit tricky to know where to go because it was still a bit damp here and there; so I took it quite easily at first and then decided to push a bit more. The feeling that I got with my car today was nice, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow and I hope that in the race we can improve. Usually, we are a bit stronger on Sunday."
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	Ferrari	1'27.356	0.756	242.772
“We are quite happy with the result and our performance was good. I think it will be tough tomorrow considering that Mercedes has been very quick for the whole weekend. Our car today was good and felt amazing, so overall I am happy. The track was not really wet and it was good fun to drive, I just found a bunch of cars ahead of me in my last run, but otherwise I think we improved the car a lot over the weekend, also in qualifying trim, and that’s what really counts."
4	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	TAG	1'28.130	1.530	240.639
“It was a lonely qualifying for me and we ended up pretty much exactly where I expected. We were lacking the speed and therefore unable to get close to the Mercedes and Ferraris but the car still felt good so I had fun out there. Fifth was the best we could have done today and I achieved that. I’ll start tomorrow in fourth which of course is better but I never like to rely on penalties for other people to help, I wish I was there just on pace. We shall wait and see what the weather brings tomorrow, hopefully some rain as I think I have a better chance of challenging for a podium in the wet. At the beginning of Qualifying it looked like it could have been a nice chance to get up front but unfortunately the track dried out. I want to be realistic and not dream so I’m hoping my luck has changed and I can have a good, fun race tomorrow and bring the car home. I am not talking about podiums or winning for now. If something happens to the cars in front then we can challenge for a better result.”
5	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	Renault	1'28.856	2.256	238.673
“Today we had a very successful qualifying and will start the race just behind the top teams. I had a good rhythm and we had good times. The team made the right calls for the right track conditions; there was a nice flow. I was feeling calm and confident with the car so I was able to produce a good lap. The upgrades we brought here this weekend seemed to also have played their part in our step forward. That said, tomorrow’s race is the true test. Let’s try and have a clean race. We’ll push very hard and I’ll be very happy to bring points home.”
6	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	Mercedes	1'28.902	2.302	238.550
“It was a very difficult qualifying session and it was important to be on track at the right time, especially during Q1 the wet conditions. I was disappointed we didn’t finish one place higher and when the gap is so small you know you had the chance to be ahead. My final lap could have been better because I lost time running over the kerbs in the final corner so there was room to improve. On the other hand, we are still starting in a great place tomorrow. We have a strong car and if the weather conditions are similar there could be the opportunity to finish even higher up. We will keep our heads down and try to deliver the perfect race.”
7	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	Mercedes	1'29.074	2.474	238.089
“It’s been a really tough qualifying session, so I am happy to finish in eighth place. We decided to have a very late pit stop in Q1 to put slicks on. It was a calculated risk and we only took the decision at the final corner. I had one lap to get the time and I got blocked by Ericsson, but I still managed to improve my time even though it was very much on the limit. In Q2 I had my brakes on fire and during my second run I lost all radio contact with the team. I was there, driving alone, and I had to look out for the pit board like in the old times. I’ll be seventh on the grid tomorrow, which is not a bad place to start, especially considering everything that happened during this session. The conditions can be very unpredictable, like today, and if the rain comes anything can happen. We have been strong today and I am confident it can be the same tomorrow.”
8	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	Honda	1'29.418	2.818	237.173
“To take part in Q3 at Silverstone was a bit unexpected. But I’ve been working very well for the past couple of races, and we’ve clearly seen the improvements inside the team – in Azerbaijan, in Austria, and here at Silverstone this weekend, Fernando and I largely matched each other’s pace. It’s obviously a pretty good feeling to have made that extra step. We’d been hoping to get a rainy mixed-condition qualifying for a long time, and I think we were pretty strong in these conditions all session long. Then, when the track got drier, we maximised every chance we got. As usual, it’s very close in the midfield pack, and we usually see that some of the others have got a little something extra for qualifying. But I think the mixed conditions really helped us today. Every time I was on track, I managed to bank a good lap-time, and I think ninth in Q3 was really the maximum we could do today.”
9	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	Mercedes	1'27.376	0.776	242.716
“Qualifying was tough. It's not ideal to be starting P9 but we start tomorrow on a different tyre to the cars ahead of us, which could offer up some good opportunities to move forward. The Soft should be a good race tyre and I know anything is possible from there. I'll have to be careful to not get stuck behind traffic, but that Soft tyre should give me the opportunity to move forward as others stop. The balance of the car wasn't bad, but I really struggled for grip. The lock-up at Turn 3 on the final run cost me a bit of time, but it doesn't explain the gap to the front. Lewis seemed to be able to get the heat into the tyres better than me today in the cooler conditions after the rain. I just didn't have enough grip to compete for pole as the track dried out. We'll look into that tonight. We definitely have a strong car here and we've been competitive all weekend, so I'll be pushing all out tomorrow to make up some ground.”
10	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	Ferrari	1'29.549	2.949	236.826
“I’m not totally happy with P10. The first run in Q3, I got completely blocked by Lewis Hamilton on the last corner losing me at good three-tenths. It cost me a least one position. With the second run I thought it was going to be fine, but I got to turn three and out of the blue I had massive rear-lock, so I lost almost half a second. I made it back over the lap, so I think we had much more performance than we were showing. I’m very unhappy with my first attempt being completely ruined at the last corner. Apart from all that, we were doing okay and doing a good job. It’s great to be in Q3 but there could’ve been so much more, so I’m a bit disappointed."