‘At least one car was behaving’ - Lewis Hamilton calls his Mercedes “a plank of wood”

Lewis Hamilton says his Mercedes F1 car was performing like “a plank of wood” during a miserable run to 10th at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

The seven-time world champion endured a weekend to forget at Interlagos. He was knocked out in SQ2 and could only finish 11th in the sprint, before suffering a Q1 elimination in regular qualifying on Sunday morning.

Hamilton struggled throughout Sunday’s grand prix and had several offs, but was at least able to score a single point for his efforts to cap off a torrid weekend in Brazil.

With teammate George Russell securing a front-row start and finishing fourth in the grand prix, Hamilton was at a loss to why his car was, as he put it over team radio, “undrivable”.

“We were just slow. The car was really, really tough,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1.

“But I do really want to say a big thank you to the guys in the garage. They turned up super early this morning and still did a great job throughout the weekend.

“I know everyone back in the factory will be feeling the pain. The team could have won, also, today. At least one car was behaving.”

When asked what he was having to contend with in his W15, Hamilton replied:  “It’s like a plank of wood. There’s no suspension. It’s just bouncing on the tyres, everywhere. Can’t get on the power anywhere.

“The worst ride definitely that we’ve ever had, particularly through corners. Just so stiff. Hopefully we won’t have any more bumpy tracks.

“I think the last three aren’t so bouncy, but yeah, I could happily go take a holiday.”

Hamilton has fallen two points behind Russell in the drivers’ standings and slipped to seventh place with three grands prix and one sprint race remaining.