Silverstone (United Kingdom) (AFP)
Carried by his fans, Lewis Hamilton returned to success in qualifying and dominated championship leader Max Verstappen: he will start in the lead for the first qualifying sprint race in F1 history on Saturday at Silverstone.
When the fans make more noise than a motor ... the English public, who found Silverstone after the closed door of 2020, offered a standing ovation to their national hero, the seven-time world champion Hamilton, at the end of 'a breathtaking qualification for this 10th round of the year.
"I'm on cloud nine," Hamilton responded hotly, "so happy to see everyone here. We've missed you a whole year," he said.
The 2020 British GP was held, like many others, without an audience.
"With a wonderful crowd like you, I feel so much energy," continued Hamilton, who remained on a streak of five in a row, both in qualifying and in the race.
- 75 / 1000th difference -
Second 32 points behind Verstappen, "Sir Lewis" now has the opportunity to come back to his Dutch rival.
Taking advantage of the surplus energy coming from the public and, also, of the modifications made by Mercedes on its single-seater.
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In the end, the difference of only 75 / 1000th is not revealing.
Because Hamilton had more under the pedal.
He was launched to set an even better time at the very end of the session, before slipping and mortgaging his chances of staying in the lead.
The crowd crossed their fingers, no doubt prayed a little, and were answered: Verstappen did not do better.
"The car was behaving well, the settings were good" but "I had a strange feeling behind the wheel, I couldn't handle the corners well," Verstappen summed up.
Winner of four of the last five races, the Dutchman has been leading the championship since May and for the first time in his career, at 23 years old.
But after taking advantage of his supporters in Austria, where the Dutch had come by the thousands, he is playing in hostile territory this time.
Nobody - neither Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes), nor Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) who will start in the second row on Saturday at 5.30 pm - could prevent the communion between Hamilton and his public.
But "this is just a first step," Hamilton recalled.
Two more days remain to continue to mark the history of his sport.
- A 99th victory?
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On Saturday, he could win the first sprint race, a short format of 17 laps and 30 minutes, which will define the starting grid for Sunday.
And for this "real" Sunday race, Hamilton will then aim for a 99th victory.
Who would be his 8th at home.
Two records, of course.
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In the 3rd row, Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) and Lando Norris (McLaren) could join in the fight for the first three places, synonymous with points in the championship (three for the first, two for the second and only one for the third).
This new format, with which F1 seeks to renew itself and reach a younger audience, must also be on the program for the Italian Grand Prix in September and another that remains to be confirmed.
Authorized to come and fill the stands despite the Covid-19 crisis and the Delta variant, dominant in the United Kingdom, the public was also able to revel in the performances of Norris, 21 years old and 4th in the championship, and George Russell.
The latter, expected to be Hamilton's future teammate at Mercedes next year, also made the crowd stand up by securing a superb 8th time behind the wheel of a very limited Williams.
For the French, on the other hand, it's a double setback: Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri) and Esteban Ocon (Alpine) will only be 12th and 13th on the grid for the sprint race on Saturday.
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