Hamilton prepared for a "strong battle" against Red Bull and Verstappen

Lewis Hamilton was watching Max Verstappen take pole position away from him in the Saudi Arabia qualifying session, but the Dutchman hit the wall in sector three and his lap was ruined. Therefore, Hamilton will start from pole position, with his Mercedes teammate alongside him. Hamilton has positive words for his team. 

"What a tough track this is. It's amazing what they've built here. We were quick through practice, but for some reason, in qualifying, we were lacking pace struggling with the tyres. I am proud of Valtteri Bottas and the men and women in our team. This was the goal. We have worked so hard through simulation and set-up, the collaboration with Valtteri has been epic, the best teammate I've had in this sport. The guys were just fast, that Red bull around this track is something else," Hamilton said in the post-session interview. 

Tough battle

As it stands, Verstappen will start from P3 and will be hunting down the two Mercedes cars at the start of the race. Hamilton is prepared for another strong battle as the Championship heads towards the business end. 

"For sure. We always get closer in race pace. My long run was good yesterday, but they're rapid today and I anticipate it a strong battle but Valtteri and I will be on it," Hamilton added.