Title leader sets Friday pace again with Merc in a class of their own
Friday 17 October 2014 17:32, UK
Lewis Hamilton has described the ‘excitement’ he feels at the prospect of battling for a first career pole at Suzuka after the new championship leader once again set the Friday pace ahead of Nico Rosberg.
For the eighth time in the last nine attempts this season it was Hamilton who emerged from the opening day of a grand prix weekend with the fastest time. The Briton’s single-lap advantage over team-mate and title rival Rosberg was just over two tenths after the German had topped the charts by a tenth in the morning.
And Hamilton, whose only career win in Japan came at Fuji rather than Suzuka in 2007, is braced for another duel at the front of the grid – and one he hopes plays out in dry conditions amid the menacing threat of Typhoon Phanfone.
“I’m excited about it,” Hamilton said when asked by Sky Sports News HQ if he was expecting a repeat of his Q3 battle with Rosberg from Singapore when they were separated by a mere 0.007s.
“I hope that it’s dry. But I definitely think as a team we have the opportunity to be up front, so it’s good.”
As is often the case at tight and twisty Suzuka, the opening day of action witnessed a number of spins and crashes through the field, with mistakes during the afternoon session proving particularly common.
While both Mercedes drivers managed to stay out of the barriers – something not achieved by their distant title rival Daniel Ricciardo, incidentally – Hamilton had a big moment on the exit of Degner Two during his long runs.
“The first sector was really good on the new tyres and then the rear tyres just take such a beating through the first section and I probably took too much out of them. When I got to Turn Nine I was just wheel-spinning – it nearly took me off!” he recounted.
“It went one way and I caught it, then it shot me the other way and I nearly went into the barrier.”
Although Friday form is not always a pre-curser to the weekend’s pecking order, Rosberg has had to get used to Hamilton taking over at the head of the timesheet in Friday’s second session having himself set the early pace.
Still, despite another P2 turnaround, Rosberg was also in upbeat mood in the wake of practice after Mercedes’ W05 proved to be 1.2 seconds quicker than the Williams-led chasing pack.
“Yes, I am a bit surprised [about the gap]. But the car feels good, I feel comfortable out there and it’s great to drive,” the German, three points behind Hamilton in the standings after his Singapore DNF, told SSNHQ.
“It was a good day and, yes, it’s challenging because this is an old-school track. There’s no room for error and that’s good, it’s good that we race on tracks like this.”
Although Hamilton and Rosberg are still separated by the slenderest of margins in the title race, this weekend is being viewed as particularly pivotal for the German given it has been his team-mate who has been in the ascendency since their infamous clash at Spa in August.
With pole likely to prove particularly key to the final outcome at Suzuka - provided, that is, the race isn't affected by rain - Rosberg joked about his narrow pole deficit to Hamilton last time out: "I found those seven thousandths by the way after Singapore, so I have them in the bag now. So no worries for here!"
Lewis Hamilton's record at Suzuka
2009: Started 3rd, Finished 3rd.
2010: Started 8th, Finished 5th.
2011: Started 3rd, Finished 5th.
2012: Started 9th, Finished 5th.
2013: Started 3rd, DNF.
