Max Verstappen took all the plaudits from the qualifying session at his home Grand Prix. However, without the last moment interruption during the qualifying, one man could’ve shared the spoils; the man in question being seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton will start the race in the second row from P4 behind Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc, and pole-sitter Verstappen. Throughout the season, the Red Bulls and Ferraris have been too quick for the Mercedes. However, at the Dutch GP qualifying, Hamilton showcased some incredible pace.

The Mercedes was absolutely flying on his last lap of Q3, but a yellow flag incident rendered the lap void. If Hamilton would’ve recorded the time on the last flying lap, he could’ve placed himself in the front row. Former world champion and Hamilton’s old teammate Nico Rosberg is also of the same opinion.

Speaking with Sky Sports, Rosberg said, “It’s a pity we didn’t see the end of Lewis’s lap there because he was on a flyer. He was only like 500ths away from Max Verstappen’s pole lap up until then, up until the last sector.”

“He didn’t get to show what he can do in the last sector, so that was a pity. Mercedes really making big progress this weekend,” he concluded.

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All the blame for the sullied lap by the yellow flag incident goes to Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez. The Mexican slipped during his last flying lap, bringing out the flag and leaving no time for others to improve.

However, despite the qualifying mishap, the Brit is in high spirits and looking forward to the race.

Motivated Lewis Hamilton is ready to fight for his first win at the Dutch GP

The W13 is a completely different machine at Zandvoort compared to Spa. The gap from the front runner, which has usually been massive all season, is well within reach. Because of the incredible pace, Hamilton feels he has a shot at fighting the frontrunners.

He said, “I genuinely feel good. We have closed the gap somehow over one lap. I can’t really understand why.”

“But I’m hoping that means we are even closer again in the race and if we are that would be fantastic. If we can fight with these three ahead of me, that would be an amazing experience,” he added. 

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Mercedes has followed a general trend of better pace in races compared to qualifying throughout the season. If this stands true for the Dutch GP, we might witness Lewis Hamilton’s first win of the season.