Lewis Hamilton was in effusive mood after stealing pole position for this weekend's German Grand Prix from under the noses of arch-rivals
Ferrari – thereby giving himself the perfect springboard from which to vault clear in the
Formula 1 World Championship fight.
The McLaren-Mercedes ace is currently tied on points with Maranello men
Kimi Raikkonen and
Felipe Massa atop the drivers' standings, but the ninth pole of his fledgling career in the top flight – on Mercedes' home turf too – has dealt a blow to the
Scuderia, particularly with defending world champion Raikkonen only managing to line up back on the third row of the grid at Hockenheim.
The margin of the British Grand Prix winner's superiority around the Baden-Württemberg circuit was ultimately just shy of two tenths of a second following a committed final effort – and backs up his assertion that it is now advantage
McLaren as the 2008
F1 campaign races into its second half.
“What a lap!” the 23-year-old Stevenage-born ace enthused. “My first run during Q3 wasn't bad, but my final lap was very smooth and I expected to set an even better time.
“The wind made today's conditions quite tricky, and sometimes it was difficult to stay on the racing line, particularly in the stadium section where the wind seemed to change a couple of times.
“The team did a really good job to adjust to these conditions and to prepare the car perfectly. We've been fast and consistent all weekend, we have good pace and I'm confident for tomorrow.”
Both the Woking-based outfit's team principal Ron Dennis and Mercedes-Benz Motorsport Vice-President Norbert Haug shared Hamilton's sentiments, with big points needed on Sunday to help close the gaping 24 markers separating McLaren from Ferrari in the constructors' title chase.
“Today we saw another excellent team performance by all at McLaren-Mercedes,” underlined Dennis. “Clearly, we're delighted for Lewis, who drove a great lap to take pole position in what I'm sure most people will agree was a gripping end to today's qualifying session.
