Hamilton Acknowledges Decline in Speed Following Disappointing Qatar GP Sprint Qualifying
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Doha, Nov 30 (NationPress) Seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton confessed that he is 'definitely not fast anymore' after finishing in seventh place during the Qatar Grand Prix sprint qualifying on Friday.
In his concluding season with Mercedes, Hamilton was 0.399 seconds slower than his teammate George Russell, who will be starting the sprint race in second position behind McLaren's Lando Norris.
"Just like every other qualifying session - not particularly impressive. I'm simply slow. It feels the same every weekend. The car was relatively good. You know, no problems. Nothing much more to add," Hamilton stated post-qualifying.
Hamilton holds the all-time record for F1 pole positions with 104, far surpassing Michael Schumacher’s 68. Nonetheless, in his recent partnership with teammate Russell, Hamilton has encountered difficulties. Out of 22 races, including six sprint events, Hamilton has only out-qualified Russell on six occasions. When excluding the sprint sessions, the qualifying statistics stand at 5-17 in favor of Russell, with an average advantage of 0.16 seconds per lap this season.
Prior to joining forces with Russell, Hamilton had never been consistently out-qualified by a teammate. Reflecting on this, Hamilton humorously remarked: "Who knows? I'm definitely not fast anymore."
Friday's qualifying established the sprint race grid for Saturday, followed by another session to determine the line-up for the grand prix. Despite the setbacks, Hamilton remains hopeful, appreciating the car's pace and supporting Russell in his quest for pole.
"When you find yourself consistently in my position, it makes it nearly impossible to compete for victories from there. But that's the nature of the sprint. I'll give it my best shot tomorrow."
When asked if there were any positives, Hamilton replied: "Not really. The silver lining is that the car is fast and George should be able to challenge for pole tomorrow."
