Lewis Hamilton has admitted that he is getting used to being eliminated in Q2. This was the third time in the last five qualifiers that the Brit has failed to crack the top ten and he continues to struggle to get the most out of W15 in one lap.
At a track where he won eight pole positions and where he finished on the podium in 2023, Hamilton crashed out in the second qualifying round this Saturday, being knocked out by Yuki Tsunoda.
The Briton did not make enough progress in the last attempt and remained eleventh. Lewis reveals it’s something he’s already getting used to, as it happened to him in the last two places last year, and he also came close to relegation in Jeddah.
“George is doing a better job with this car, he has beaten me in three consecutive qualifiers and he seems to be doing better than me. I try to keep my head above water and carry on, realizing it could be a lot worse than it is. I’m getting a bit used to being eliminated in Q2 so it’s a pretty flat feeling, not great but good,” said Hamilton.
“For some reason, when we get into qualifying, it’s very difficult for us to even get through Q1. I almost missed it again and it’s something we miss. I qualified ahead of Williams, we shouldn’t be in that position.”
“I don’t see positive things for tomorrow, but it will be a new day. I want to work as hard as I can to improve and enjoy the race,” he added.
Although the feelings in the third free practice were good for him and Mercedes, everything went wrong in qualifying. The W15 is suffering a lot from the wind and will have to try something different tomorrow to try to come back.
Albert Park is the track where the British driver had one of his best races last year, and even though the podium is too far, he will try to minimize the damage as best as possible.
“The car was good in the third free practice and it was strange because we were on par with the best, we didn’t understand why. Then, when we got to qualifying, this bad consistency with the car really comes to mind.”
“Our car is on the edge of a knife. In the afternoon, the wind increases, as in the second free training session. In the first free practice, everything went a little better when the car was more stable,” he explains.
“Mornings are better with calmer wind, but when it picks up, the car becomes less stable. The others seem to have picked up the pace in qualifying, not sure why. “The grip is not the same, although we had less gas, everything was better in the third free practice,” concluded Lewis Hamilton.
