Lewis Hamilton has admitted mixed emotions after his and Ferrari’s performance in qualifying for the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix.
After his and Ferrari’s pace fell away during Sprint Qualifying, Hamilton aimed for a better performance on Saturday qualifying for Sunday’s race.
The SF-26, showing pace, featured regularly at the top of the timesheets in Q1 and Q2, but Hamilton still lacked the final few tenths of a second to challenge for pole position.
Forced to settle for sixth on the grid, the seven-time world champion will likely struggle to make up places in Miami, a circuit not known for its overtaking opportunities.
Although happy with the pace of his SF-26, Hamilton confirmed more time was left on the table in Q3.
“It was an improvement, and we made lots of changes to the car; we didn’t have software issues, so I think we progressed,” he said to media after qualifying, including Motorsport Week.
“We stepped forward. I think Q2 was really solid, and then when I got to Q3, I wasn’t able to extract the maximum.”
Lewis Hamilton “not comfortable with F1 Miami GP qualifying
He admitted mixed emotions after qualifying, disappointed with his position, but outlined his confidence in a strong race performance.
“I don’t feel comfortable in the top six, it is not where I want to be, so naturally, I am not happy, but I’m happy that we made changes going into qualifying, we progressed, and I think the top three was probably impossible.
“But if I could, I would start with what I had [in qualifying] on Friday, and have that practice of driving the car as it was [on Saturday], because it was miles different from the Sprint and from Friday.
“So I really need to dig deep on that. If I’m honest, I think the simulator really sent me in the wrong direction, so I think I might cut that out.
“I’m expecting the car tomorrow to feel a lot better, but it is going to be wet, so I’m confident that with the balance I had, in the wet, hopefully we should be in a good place.”
Hamilton is still missing the elusive final segment of performance to click into place with the SF-26. However, he is looking stronger every race, and looks set to challenge at the front across the season.
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