Nicolas Hamilton: “I could have been higher up”

Nicolas Hamilton says he had the potential to qualify higher than the 29th place on the grid he managed at Croft on Saturday, and he is aiming for three race finishes today.

Taking part in his first BTCC meeting, Hamilton clocked up 20 laps in opening practice and 18 in the second, before ending the day 4.140 seconds off the pace of pole-sitter Sam Tordoff in qualifying.

The 23-year-old said he was disappointed not to be higher up the grid, but was satisfied with his day’s work.

“I didn’t set myself any real targets and just wanted to get on with it and drive. I think I’ve made some good progress and improved a lot, so I’m pretty happy in terms of the amount of time I’ve found,” said Hamilton.

“At the same time I’m also a bit disappointed that I wasn’t quicker in qualifying as the data shows I was up by a second and then I got blocked into the complex so I had the potential to be ahead of some of the guys who’ve been racing all season – and to be ahead of them on merit. Unfortunately that means some people will look at the time sheets and think I was just at the back when the reality is that I had the pace to be more in the mix.

“I’ve gained a lot more confidence in the car over the course of today, particularly in the quicker parts of the circuit which is where we made up some of our time. The team has done a mega job and now I want to get three finishes in the races and try and learn more tomorrow.”

AmD Tuning team principal Shaun Hollamby said: “We’re very pleased with the way Nicolas has performed and in a way, it’s good that he is disappointed at the fact he didn’t get more from qualifying as it shows the progress he’s made.

“If he’d managed to get his final lap in, he’d have been around 25th and right where we hoped he would be. He’s done a good job, stayed out of trouble and hasn’t made any mistakes.”