The Mercedes is running in Las Vegas, but at the crucial moment of qualifying, only George Russell can prove it: superstar Lewis Hamilton is puzzling
It’s still a curse for Lewis Hamilton in qualifying: After two best times in training and with Mercedes’ strong pace in Las Vegas, everything was set for the Briton to attack pole position – but in the end, it was taken by team-mate George Russell, while Hamilton did not get past tenth place.
A bitter disappointment for the Briton, who failed to get a fast attempt over the line in Q3: “He was still the fastest in Q2, I think. It was just the two laps in Q3, he couldn’t get it together,” comments Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff on Sky: “But until then, the car was running really well.”
The Silver Arrow boss adds: “Of course it would have been nice to have had both of us on the front row. Then there would have been more options.” Instead, Q3 spoiled the Hamilton show in Vegas, because the record world champion himself admits after qualifying that he had assumed he would take pole.
“I just couldn’t get the job done, the car felt different in Q3, and for some reason the stability was no longer there after I had it in the other sessions. But the bottom line is that I didn’t get the laps together,” Hamilton doesn’t want to look for excuses for long.
Tires prepared incorrectly: Hamilton sees “domino effect”
However, the tires were a key factor: “The tires were difficult, so we decided on the preparation lap, and that was the wrong decision, to make one at all. And then the domino effect started from there, so to speak,” explains the record world champion.
Another problem: Mercedes doesn’t really understand either the sudden difficulties or its own strong performance, Hamilton reveals: “We think it’s the tires, but we don’t know why we’re fast this weekend. It must have something to do with the temperatures,” speculates the Silver Arrow star.
Hamilton is also puzzled by the stability of his rear after qualifying: “It was really good, as you could see from my pace until then. And then, as soon as we got into Q3, it started to go away.”
However, the 39-year-old is not going to let the setback get him down: “I feel good. I wish I was on pole. But George is on pole and that’s great for the team,” he says, denying that the disappointment of the qualifying defeat has left him feeling low. Instead, Hamilton wants to remain positive and “look ahead”.
Hamilton remains confident: “I have pace”
“I still have three more attempts, two more attempts even in the next race,” he says, looking ahead to the next stops on his farewell tour with Mercedes in Qatar, where there is also a sprint, and at the season finale in Abu Dhabi. “The good thing is, I have pace,” Hamilton remains confident.
The Mercedes driver has the backing of his chief engineer Andrew Shovlin: “Lewis had fantastic speed throughout, but he was unlucky to have problems on both of his laps in Q3,” explains the Briton. Overall, however, the engineer is satisfied with Mercedes’ performance in Vegas: “The car worked really well on a lap, and that from the first laps in training to the last lap in Q3.”
Russell proved that with pole. As for whether Mercedes can defend the lead in the race, Shovlin is not ready to say: “It’s much more difficult to say where we stand compared to the others in terms of long-run pace.” In particular, tire blistering caused by the cool temperatures is “crucial” for tire wear, Shovlin said: “We need to monitor how the race develops and react well if we want to fight for victory.”