Lewis Hamilton insists “I’ve still got it” despite latest George Russell defeat
Lewis Hamilton baffled by latest qualifying deficit to George Russell, writes Lewis Larkam in Qatar.
Lewis Hamilton admitted he “can’t explain” his half-second deficit to Mercedes teammate George Russell in qualifying at the F1 Qatar Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion qualified sixth for Sunday’s penultimate race of the season in Qatar, four places and over half a second slower than Russell, who was pipped to pole position by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
Hamilton, who is in his final season with Mercedes before joining Ferrari, has now been outpaced by Russell in 18 of the 23 regular qualifying sessions to have taken place this year.
In all qualifying sessions including the six sprint events, Hamilton has only out-qualified Russell six times in 23 races.
“I can’t explain why I am half a second off my teammate. It’s never happened in my career,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1.
“I can’t explain that. What I can say is that the car felt generally fine for me. There’s not really much more I can add.
“I’ve given it absolutely everything and the laps are generally feeling good but I come across the line and it’s just slow.”
Hamilton’s U-Turn on ‘not fast anymore’ remark
After a disappointing qualifying result for the sprint race, Hamilton, who is the all-time F1 record holder for pole positions with 104, admitted he is “definitely not fast anymore”.
However, following qualifying for the main grand prix, the 39-year-old Briton insisted: “I know I’ve still got it. Just, the car won’t go any faster.
“I definitely know I’ve got it still. It’s not a question in my mind. Looking forward to the end [of the season].”
When asked if he knows why he struggling to match Russell, Hamilton conceded: “I don't know. I don’t know.”
Pushed on how it is possible to turn things around, he responded: “It’s not possible to change it right now.”
Hamilton came out second best in a battle with future Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc on his way to finishing sixth in the sprint race earlier on Saturday.
“I didn’t put up much of a fight, I kind of let him past to be honest,” Hamilton said of their duel.
“He was generally quicker anyways. But we have improved the car… I don’t know what it’s going to be like in race trim, but hopefully better.”
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