Lewis Hamilton attributed the mistakes that cost him a chance to take pole position at Formula 1‘s Las Vegas Grand Prix to the Mercedes car “feeling different” in Q3.
Hamilton was tipped as a contender for pole position having topped the opening two practice sessions, while George Russell made it a Mercedes clean sweep in FP3.
But while Russell delivered on that promise to seize pole position, Hamilton was made to rue two errors that resigned him to ending up down in 10th place on the grid.
The Briton’s initial mishap arrived when he locked up at Turn 14, while his final attempt saw him lose the rear end as he navigated the sweeping right-hander of Turn 3.
Hamilton lamented the confidence he had unearthed in the W15 earlier in the weekend at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit vanishing once he ventured into the final session.
“The car felt different in Q3, and the stability was not there for some reason, but I’d had it in all the other sessions,” Hamilton told media including Motorsport Week.
“But ultimately I didn’t put the laps together.”
Asked whether it was an unstable rear that was his biggest issue, Hamilton replied: “Yeah. It’d been really good up until then.
“And obviously you saw my pace. And then since we got to Q3, it just started snapping away.”
Hamilton attributes Q3 struggles to the tyres
Hamilton struggling to replicate strong pace over a single lap when it counts has been a recurring pattern this term that he and Mercedes haven’t been able to resolve.
“Well, I think, we think, it’s tyres,” he explained. “But I mean, we don’t know why we’re fast as we can. It must be something to do with temperatures.
He added: “The tyres were difficult.
“That’s why we did a prep lap and I think that was the wrong call to do a prep lap on my side. And then it kind of domino effected from there.”
Hamilton not downbeat despite continued woes
However, Hamilton, who will move to Ferrari in 2025, denied that he was downbeat despite his mistake-laden run all but ending his chances of challenging for the win.
Asked whether the result provided a sting, the seven-time F1 champion answered: “Not really. I feel great, to be honest.
“I wish I was on pole. George is on pole. It’s great for the team. It’s not a stinger. I’ll move forwards.
“I’ve got three shots. Three pops in it. Two more pops in the next races and we’ll see how it goes. The good thing is I’ve got pace.”
READ MORE – George Russell beats Carlos Sainz to Las Vegas F1 pole position
