“I should have been on pole but I’m not, so it is what it is” : Lewis Hamilton speaks after yet another disappointing qualification weekend
To nobody’s surprise, qualification has yet again hindered Lewis Hamilton’s chances in Las Vegas as he will be starting at tenth position on Sunday.
On what was looking like a very promising pole position with the Briton topping both qualifying sessions on Friday while also being the fastest in Q2, it was during Q3 which let down Hamilton’s chances, as his whole lap time was deleted due to mistakes he rightfully admitted was his fault.
While Lewis Hamilton congratulated teammate George Russell for taking the pole position, he believed that he should have been the one instead.
“I should have been on pole but I’m not, so it is what it is. C’est la vie, you live to fight another day,”
“It is what it is. It’s been a good weekend so far so I’ll give it my best shot tomorrow. Congrats to George.” Hamilton spoke to Sky Sports.
This now brings the lead to 17-5 between the Mercedes duo in terms of qualifying ahead of each other, with Hamilton on the bitter side of it.
Meanwhile, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz took second place and surprisingly, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly came third. Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris soon followed.
“I’m really quite far back so I’ll just see what I can do from there” : Lewis Hamilton still has some faith left
Car troubles have not left the side of the seven-time world champion just yet, as he revealed how the handling of his Mercedes felt different as compared to other parts of the qualifying rounds.
“The car felt different in Q3, and the stability was not there for some reason. But I had it in all the other sessions,”
“But ultimately I didn’t put the laps together.” the 39-year-old admitted his mistake.
“I’m really quite far back so I’ll just see what I can do from there, degradation is going to be key. We had an eventful race here last year.” Hamilton still has faith going into the race as the underdog.
The Briton is once again into the deep end, as starting at tenth is never the first choice for any driver. But still, it is not the end of the world as Hamilton has shown some great speed during Friday’s session. Moreover, we have also already seen the likes of Max Verstappen, who started on grid 17 in Sao Paulo, winning the whole thing in the end. So yes, the seven-time world champion obviously has what it takes but it will surely be a tough race.
