The Azerbaijan Grand Prix initially looked like a weekend that could spoil Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes’ chances of reclaiming their lead against rivals, Red Bull, driven by championship leader, Max Verstappen.

The Stuttgart outfit never looked like a team that could compete for the top 5 considering Ferrari’s pace along with Red Bull. But, how drastic did the tables turn when the F1 cars arrived for the qualifying session in Baku?

The 7-time world champion yet again managed to bring out his class act at a crucial point of time, lining up on the front row, ahead of his title rival. However, the Briton reckoned that it wasn’t easy amidst “difficult decisions” within the team.

What did Lewis Hamilton say?

Following the qualifying session in Baku, Hamilton opened up about how Mercedes yet again managed to punch above their weight.

“The lap was okay. I think, we definitely weren’t expecting that and this is such a monumental result for us because we’ve been struggling like you can believe all weekend,” he said.

“You mean, you can see it. And we kept our composure, we’ve had some difficult discussions in the background and challenging one another just never take no for an answer.”

Hamilton would be relieved to have his car on the front row over a session that was potentially shaping up to be a disaster for the defending champions. Partial credit goes to Yuki Tsunoda as well, as his collision brought out the red flags.

There is no guarantee that the Briton could have finished ahead of both the Red Bull drivers. Hence, it isn’t surprising to see a lot of smiling faces at the Mercedes garage.

Made so many changes: Hamilton

The Mercedes driver acknowledged that the team made a significant amount of changes to his car, which probably handed him the miraculous pace advantage in qualifying.

“We’ve moved around, made so many changes over these two days, which is chasing your tail. And it’s been so difficult,” Hamilton said.

“But the work overnight and particularly between the sessions was amazing from the team and I’m really proud of everyone for keeping positive. So, to be up there, to be so close to these guys, it’s a great start.”

Overall, Hamilton’s sole target at the race start could be to defend successfully against Verstappen. Because, with Ferrari struggling with pace over long runs, Hamilton might find himself in free air sooner than expected, leaving his pit-wall with abundant strategical options to play with.

Hence, will Mercedes successfully fend off the imminent threat from the Red Bull duo over the race in Baku?

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