Breaking : Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes driver left frustrated at Las Vegas GP as…. Read more.

Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes driver left frustrated at Las Vegas GP as…. Read more.

Lewis Hamilton expressed his frustration following the Las Vegas Grand Prix qualifying session, where his Mercedes teammate, George Russell, clinched pole position. Hamilton had demonstrated impressive form during the practice sessions on Friday, topping both and showing competitiveness in Q2. However, his qualifying performance in Q3 left much to be desired as he faced challenges in the cold weather conditions of Las Vegas.

In Q3, Hamilton experienced a lock-up during his first run, which hampered his performance in the middle sector. On his second attempt, he encountered oversteer at Turn Three, which forced him to run wide and resulted in his lap time being disqualified due to a track limits violation. Even without this setback, Hamilton’s time would have only placed him 10th on the grid, leaving him feeling frustrated after what had been a promising start to the weekend.

Reflecting on his qualifying run, Hamilton remarked, “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.” This season has been particularly challenging for Hamilton in qualifying, as he finds himself trailing 17-5 against Russell in their head-to-head matchups.

The seven-time world champion noted that the handling of his car felt inconsistent in Q3 compared to earlier sessions. “The car felt different in Q3, and the stability was not there for some reason. But I had it in all the other sessions,” he explained to the media. Hamilton had come into the Las Vegas event feeling discontented with his situation at Mercedes, especially after a difficult outing in Sao Paulo, where he hinted at the possibility of it being his final race with the team. He even stated he could “happily go and take a holiday.”

Despite the challenges he faced during qualifying, Hamilton remains optimistic about the pace shown in earlier sessions. Mercedes had enjoyed victories in the Austrian, British, and Belgian Grands Prix over the summer, but performance has since dipped, placing them behind rivals like McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull. Russell has also shown strength in wet conditions, indicating that Mercedes thrives in cooler weather, with Hamilton noting, “Our car comes alive when there’s a lack of grip and it’s cold.”

As Hamilton prepares for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, scheduled for Sunday at 6am, he aims to leverage the strong pace demonstrated in practice to turn around his qualifying setback.