Title-chasing Lewis to start on front row for Sunday's Chinese GP alongside Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo after stunning display in qualifying
Saturday 19 April 2014 13:00, UK
Lewis Hamilton says he is "ecstatic" after breaking the record for all-time pole positions in F1 by a British driver, but admitted he may be racing into the "unknown" with the set-up of his dominant W05 car in Sunday's Chinese GP.
Any Sunday success would nonetheless represent a third straight defeat of Rosberg, who currently holds an 11-point championship lead over him, but Hamilton added: "I don't feel it [the momentum]'s shifted in my favour. Nico's driving really well and he's pushing me very hard and keeping me on my toes. I'm working as hard as I can. "I think we're going to see from race to race there's going to be some times when he's going to be quicker and some times when I'm going to be quicker, as we saw last year. I've generally gone quite well here [in China] but then, for example, Bahrain he got pole, he's generally been stronger there, and my job this year was to close the gap a little bit, which I did - it wasn't half a second like it was last year in qualifying, it was three tenths. "Generally what I'm really trying to focus on is those circuits I am maybe weaker and not as close to him, I want to make sure I close that gap. So damage limitation on those races and I think last weekend was one of those races." Rosberg will start fourth after spinning out at the final corner of his last run, but admitted that he wouldn't have been able to match Hamilton's time. "I was struggling on the brakes, which is why my last sector was so bad and in the end I just tried a little too hard," said the German. "I was slower anyway on that last lap so I had to give it a go into the last corner to see if I could pull back some time. I just wasn't quick enough in general." Rosberg described himself as feeling uncomfortable in the W05 this weekend but added "in the dry it is less of a problem." A dry race is forecast for Sunday with the two Red Bulls separating Rosberg from Hamilton. Sunday's race, exclusively live on Sky F1, starts at 8am UK Time.
