Hamilton 'happy with 2nd' as Mercedes lock out front row
Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton secured a seventh consecutive Silver Arrows front row lockout during qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos. Nico's 10th pole position of the season secures him the inaugural pole position trophy.
The result marks the 17th pole of the season for the Silver Arrows, with P2 for Lewis completing the 11th front row lockout.
Today saw the fastest pole position lap ever set at Interlagos, surpassing the 1:10.646 set by Rubens Barrichello in 2004.
Nico Rosberg, car #6, F1 W05 Hybrid/04, 1st: "I'm very happy with the weekend so far. The last run in qualifying was not my best but it was good enough to start from pole. And I'm pleased to start from the clean side of the grid, which should be a good thing for me. With the team I've reviewed why Austin didn't work out perfectly for me and we've done a race simulation already this morning with high fuel levels in the car, so I learned a few things that I can improve and am quite confident I can do a better job in this race. Of course, I need a bit of help from my team-mate to make the World Championship happen. But I'm still highly motivated and will continue to push as hard as I can all the way."
Lewis Hamilton,car #44, F1 W05 Hybrid/05, 2nd: "I'm probably happier with second than I've ever been and I'm really pleased with the way we qualified as a team. It was so, so close out there and my lap wasn't perfect, so I know there's more time to find and where I can find it. I love being right on the limit, racing close and having a good battle - that's what Formula One is all about. Nico has been quick all weekend and I've been chasing and chasing - but what's important in my mind is that I've been improving with every session and I've found a good balance. Tomorrow is where the points are awarded and anything can happen at Interlagos as we've seen in the past. I'm looking forward to a good race and hopefully another strong result for the team."
Toto Wolff, Executive Director (business): "That was a classic Formula One qualifying session where everything came down to the final lap of the final session. Nico's pace is just incredible at the moment - like we saw on Saturday in Austin, too. Lewis has had the advantage recently in terms of race craft but there is nothing to choose between them on speed and it's a great achievement for Nico to claim the pole position trophy this year. They were both absolutely flat out this afternoon - they can take nothing for granted in each session and we were pushed hard by Williams, too. Both guys have a chance for the win tomorrow and I hope we will see another great battle between them on this fantastic circuit."
Paddy Lowe, Executive Director (technical): "Wow, that was tense today! It was a very close battle between Nico, Lewis and the two Williams cars and it wasn't until the final runs that we could see we had claimed the front row - and that Nico had taken his 10th pole position of the season. That brings him the inaugural pole position trophy, which is a significant achievement for him and the team. Lewis delivered a strong job but was pipped at the post by just 33 thousandths of a second - once again illustrating how close the battle really is between our two drivers. The weather was uncertain throughout the session. We have had rain predicted for the last few days but it has not materialised and that was true again today. However, the wind speed and direction were shifting throughout the session and those variations had a noticeable effect on the pace of the track during the hour. It was great to put on a good show for the Brazilian fans who love our sport. Congratulations to Felipe on claiming third position in front of his home crowd, too. The scene is now set for a great race tomorrow, with the continued uncertainty over the weather also thrown into the mix."
