Hamilton Frustrated After Half-Second Gap to Russell in Qatar Qualifying
Lewis Hamilton says he's struggling to understand his qualifying performance deficit at the Qatar Grand Prix, with his teammate George Russell consistently outperforming him throughout the weekend.
Russell qualified on the front row for both the Sprint and main race, coming within a tenth of the fastest time. In contrast, Hamilton found himself 0.4 seconds behind Russell in Sprint qualifying, with the gap widening further during Saturday's session.
"I'm half a second off my teammate in the same car... It's been happening all year," Hamilton admitted. "I know I've still got it, it's just the car won't go any faster. Looking forward to the end."
Despite having a well-balanced car and feeling confident in his abilities, Hamilton expressed confusion about the significant performance gap to his teammate. "I can't explain why I am half a second off my teammate. It's never happened in my career. The car felt generally fine for me, and the laps are generally feeling good but I come across the line and it's just slow."
During the Sprint race, Hamilton showed improved pace early on but ultimately lost position to Charles Leclerc. He explained his conservative approach, noting the lower points available compared to Sunday's main race. "If I'm in the same position again tomorrow, I'll put more of a fight up, for sure."
Lewis Hamilton speaks into mic
The Qatar Grand Prix marks one of Hamilton's final races with Mercedes, with his last appearance for the team scheduled for next weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.