30/07/2017
NEWS STORY
The Lewis Hamilton we witnessed following yesterday's qualifying session, was an entirely different man to the one we saw just two weeks ago as he crowd surfed and lapped up the adulation of his fans following his win at Silverstone.
According to the three-time world champion, Mercedes never had a hope of pole, and today's race should see the scarlet car of title rival Sebastian Vettel "breeze" to victory.
"I think it's going to be an easy breeze for them tomorrow," he told reporters after a session which saw him qualify fourth, behind the Ferraris and his ever-improving teammate, Valtteri Bottas.
"You can't overtake here," he continued, "so it's most likely going to be a train unless we can do something on strategy."
Referring to a qualifying session which saw a number of uncharacteristic mistakes from the Briton, who complained constantly of balance and vibration issues, he admitted: "I don't there was any moment that we had the shot on pole. We couldn't match the Ferrari's time today.
"It looks like their car maybe just suits the track more," he said, "it looks like the car isn't moving anywhere. It looks like they might have more downforce on, and they were able to apply that in Monaco as well.
"In Monte Carlo we had much more severe problems," he added, Ferrari having locked out the front row in the Principality also and gone on to finish the race 1-2. "We have become much closer to Ferrari on this type of circuit."
In the wake of claims that he over-driving the Mercedes in Q3 in his desperation to overhaul the Ferraris, he said: "When you drive it to a certain limit the car feels fine, but then you see Ferrari's time, you think you need to push further. So you drive 100 percent and the car is more on a knife edge. You are taking it into places you don't want to go."
Check out our Sunday gallery from Hungary, here.