Lewis Hamilton dismisses F1 pundit’s verdict about Max Verstappen’s pole lap with a straightforward response

While Max Verstappen’s pole lap during the British Grand Prix appeared to catch many by surprise, Lewis Hamilton wasn't shocked. The 40-year-old offered a calm and straightforward response when quizzed about the Dutch driver’s impressive performance.

Hamilton, who spoke to the media following the conclusion of qualifying, reflected on his outing in the Scuderia Ferrari car. The seven-time world champion, who qualified fifth for the Silverstone event, was also asked by Sky Sports' Natalie Pinkham about his thoughts on Verstappen’s final Q3 run.

Pinkham said:

"Tell us about the small margins between Max on the pole which came as a surprise to everyone, including himself. I mean he was nowhere (near) yesterday."

Sharing his thoughts, Hamilton responded plainly:

“There’s always a Q3 run two. They always come out of nowhere, and they’re always better, so it’s not surprising to me,” he said.

While Max Verstappen’s pole position at the British Grand Prix came as a surprise to many, it’s worth noting that Red Bull has developed a reputation for turning its weekends around in relatively quick time. Hamilton, having witnessed this pattern from the Milton Keynes outfit over the years, wasn’t fazed by yet another late-session turnaround.

As for his own performance, Hamilton could only manage a fifth-place qualifying spot. However, the Scuderia Ferrari driver continued his recent trend of out-qualifying teammate Charles Leclerc — a feat he has now achieved in four of the last five Grands Prix.

What Lewis Hamilton said after his qualifying session

Lewis Hamilton also shared his thoughts on his own outing during the qualifying session. The British driver detailed his overall satisfaction with his performance at his home Grand Prix.

Hamilton, who was racing for the Scuderia Ferrari team at the Silverstone circuit for the first time, appeared to put together an impressive qualifying lap. However, a mishap in the final sector saw him miss out on qualifying higher on the night. Sharing his thoughts via Formula 1’s official website, he stated:

“The lap was pretty decent at the end and then I lost a bit of time in the last corner, which probably would have put me on the front row or at least third. We were right on the knife edge I think. Other than that, I squeezed everything I could out of the car. I definitely feel a lot better in the car this weekend.”

Lewis Hamilton also shared his optimism about achieving a podium finish despite starting on the third row.

“This track is incredible, the crowd’s been amazing but we needed just a little bit more, like another tenth of performance in the car just to nudge us a little bit closer to the front guys.”

“Of course, I’ll dream of it tonight and I’ll try and execute tomorrow. I think the weather’s going to be interesting, I’d imagine it’s dry probably for the race, but it would be cool if it’s drizzling or… yeah, we’ll see.”

The seven-time world champion boasts the record of being the most dominant driver around the Silverstone circuit. Lewis Hamilton is also the driver with the most podium finishes, including nine victories at the British GP.