Hopes in the Rain: Lewis Hamilton Believes Pole Was Possible at Belgian GP With Fresh Tyres

Lewis Hamilton believes he had a chance to secure the pole position during the Belgian Grand Prix qualifying but missed it.

Lewis Hamilton is of the opinion that he could have secured the pole position at the F1 Belgian Grand Prix had he had an additional set of intermediate tyres at his disposal.

The seven-time world champion is set to begin the race from the third position, trailing behind his future Ferrari team member Charles Leclerc and Red Bull's Sergio Perez, but leading the McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

Max Verstappen, the reigning world champion, has been the standout performer this weekend, topping the timesheets in a rain-affected qualifying session at Spa-Francorchamps. However, due to a penalty for using more power units than permitted, the Red Bull racer will start the race in 11th position, after a 10-place grid penalty is enforced.

Hamilton trailed Leclerc by just under a tenth of a second and believes he might have surpassed Leclerc's time had he possessed a new set of intermediate tires during the final segment of Q3.

"After the qualifying round, Hamilton expressed his ease, stating, 'I always find myself at ease under these circumstances.'"

"I believe we could have achieved a higher position if our timing had been optimal during the final stretch, but we almost didn't make it past the first qualifying round, not due to our actual speed but because they decided to bring me in. Then, towards the finish, we were left with just one set of tyres while the three competitors in front had an additional set."

Hamilton stated: "Reviewing my potential timing, I should have secured second place, yet I believe with an additional tyre towards the end, I might have clinched the pole position. However, that's all hypothetical."

In response to a question about whether he felt relieved that Mercedes' speed had come back after they replaced his car's floor overnight, Hamilton said, "I don't feel relieved; for me, the relief came because it started to rain.

"Yesterday, we missed it by a second, so perhaps today we might have been behind by seven tenths, but competing for the top three spots wouldn't have been in our reach."

The British competitor, aged 39, attempted to lower expectations for Mercedes' potential to compete for a top-three finish, acknowledging that it would be challenging to outpace the faster McLarens and Verstappen's Red Bull.

"He mentioned that while there's a small possibility of competing for a top-three finish, he believes it will be challenging."

"We're flanked by McLarens at the rear, with a speedy Red Bull in front and another fast one expected to catch up soon. Meanwhile, the Ferrari is matching our pace closely in terms of performance."

"I believe the other competitors had a robust pace during the race. I'm optimistic that the adjustments we've implemented overnight will enhance the car's performance somewhat. Ultimately, how I handle it on the track tomorrow will be the decisive factor in whether we advance or fall behind."

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