Hamilton heading into sprint race with 'all guns blazing'

Lewis Hamilton vows to head into Saturday afternoon's sprint race at Silverstone with "all guns blazing" as he brings out the lion in him for F1's 17-lap mad dash.

The Mercedes driver who lags archrival Max Verstappen by 32 points in the championship will lead the field after clocking in fastest in Friday's qualifying session, and he'll have the Red Bull driver alongside him on the historic grid.

"It's just all guns blazing," Hamilton replied when asked how he would approach the special event. "I need to bring out the lion tomorrow and give it everything.

"It starts with the start so we'll be practising on that, we've got the long run practice in P2.

"I mean passing the Red Bull is not easy, so it really helps to be where we are. But we've got to get off the line, and we've still got so many things and obstacles up ahead of us.

"The sprint race is going to be an interesting one, I think I've got the car where I need it, so we'll see."

While Hamilton will opt for a forceful effort at the start, McLaren's Lando Norris, who will start P6, aims to push from the outset but without taking undue risk.

"I mean it is not a long race is it?,” he said. "So just pushing as much as possible, really. I don’t think it’ll be too chaotic, maybe for the first few laps, but then things will settle down and it will be quite straightforward.

"So it is not about taking risks, it is about choosing your battles wisely, because the points are still on Sunday and not just Saturday."

• Read also: Alonso sees sprint qualifying as 'first stint' of one big race

George Russell, Britain's third driver on the grid and a big favourite of the crowd after his stunning P8 performance in qualifying, will have little to lose in the sprint race, especially as those around him may opt to "play it safe".

"We find ourselves in this position by putting everything on the table and we've got to do that again [in the sprint qualifying race]," Russell said.

"We've got to be aggressive and we've got to go on the front foot. Otherwise, we're going to get eaten up by the faster cars around us.

"It's not going to be easy, but I think a lot of guys are going to be playing it safe because they just want to be in a half-sensible position for [Sunday].

"Which, in itself, offers an opportunity for me. We've got to go for it and whatever happens, happens. We're only there because that's how we approach things."

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