Lewis Hamilton baffled by qualifying pace loss as grip just “vanished”

Lewis Hamilton was left mystified by his pace drop-off in qualifying for the F1 Canadian Grand Prix while his Mercedes teammate George Russell claimed pole.

Seven-time world champion Hamilton topped final practice with a blistering lap and the Mercedes pair looked favourites to take pole, and possibly secure a rare front-row lockout in Montreal.

Russell did go on to snatch pole ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, but Hamilton could only manage seventh after his pace dramatically fell away in Q3. 

It marked the first time in Hamilton's career that he has not qualified inside the top five in Canada. 

Hamilton was baffled by his drop-off in performance, explaining the grip he had felt in his W15 earlier in the day just “vanished”.

"The car was feeling great all weekend and as soon as we got to qualifying, that kind of vanished for me," Hamilton told Sky Sports F1.

"The grip just disappears for me. P3, I had plenty of pace in me, and then get to qualifying and the tyres won't work.

"Nothing had changed on the car.”

Hamilton and Russell were boosted by further Mercedes upgrades to the W15 this weekend, with both drivers praising the team’s step forward.

"Congratulations to George for a great job. It's really great for the team,” Hamilton added.

"Obviously, everyone has worked so hard to bring upgrades back at the factory, so this will be a real huge boost for everyone back at the factory.”

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was also at a loss to explain why Hamilton’s session had unraveled.

"It seemed that Lewis was actually having the upper hand and both cars comfortably beating everyone," Wolff told Sky Sports F1.

"And then at the end, it got so tight, also for George, and Lewis - the time didn't show up. We can't comprehend at the moment why it wasn't a little bit more in our favour."