"It's literally just having the confidence" - Lewis Hamilton talks about the intangibles he employed while delivering his pole position lap

Lewis Hamilton believes his car functioning was better around the Hungaroring and that boosted his confidence in qualifying. Speaking to Sportskeeda in the post-qualifying press conference, the Briton claimed that the Mercedes W14 has improved from what it was prior to qualifying.

Asked by Sportskeeda how much of his qualifying performance can be attributed to his own confidence around the circuit as opposed to the car, Hamilton replied:

“Well, we didn't bring any upgrades this weekend, so the car is the same as before. All the drivers here, they're exceptional and such a huge part that probably - I don't know if it gets commented on - is having confidence in the vehicle that you're driving, with the tool that you're using and when you lose that confidence, you shed a lot of time.

"And it's something that… last year, I had no confidence in the car. Started out this season with very little confidence in the car and bit by bit, started to get the thing on the right rails, on the right track.”

He added:

“And this weekend, here, whilst we struggle in the high speed, so turns four and 11 - not so great in those two, but the others… the cars have generally been quite good in the low speeds we've discovered in the last few races. So the confidence has finally come back and that's what you're seeing today.

"It's literally just having the confidence to be able to throw that car into the corner and it's going to stick. And also just after driving it for so long, you get used to it and now there's no fear that it's going to throw you off into the wall, apart from some of the high speeds a little bit, every now and then. But yeah, so that's it, I would say.”

Clinching his 104th pole position in Hungary, Lewis Hamilton was elated in the post-qualifying press conference. The Briton felt a driver’s confidence in his car is a subject that doesn't get spoken about often.

There was a contrasting reply to Sportskeeda on Thursday, where the Briton felt his confidence and experience around this track alone was not enough to succeed come Sunday.

After a positive result in qualifying and his first pole position since Saudi Arabia in 2021, the Mercedes champion felt it was the confidence that fuelled his performance.

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Lewis Hamilton reckons Max Verstappen’s race pace was exceptional during the free practice sessions in Hungary

Despite clinching pole position and being confident about their pace on a Sunday, Lewis Hamilton warned that Max Verstappen’s race simulations were extremely competitive.

The Briton feels that their car was competitively built and it will be important to hold on to their position to maximise its potential.

Asked about the kind of race car he has going into the Hungarian GP, Lewis Hamilton replied:

“Well, normally it’s not a bad race car. We tend to have decent race pace. Max’s race pace yesterday was, I think, quite extraordinary. I think they were a little bit… quite a bit quicker than us, but yeah, if there’s a way to hold position, then maybe there’s a fighting chance for us. But just even being up there in the top three. It’s new. We’re going to have a great race, for sure.”

A win or podium in Hungary could propel Lewis Hamilton to third place in the driver’s standings, where he closely trails Fernando Alonso.

A good result could further propel him into the fight for second place in the championship which is going to be a tight battle over the course of the remaining calendar. 10 years since his first victory with Mercedes in 2013, the Briton has nine poles and eight victories at the Hungaroring circuit.