Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton issued a strong statement after his dismal qualifying session at the United States Grand Prix.
After a four-week break, F1 returned this weekend with the US Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas.
Heading into the weekend, all eyes were on the battle for the world title between Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and McLaren star Lando Norris.
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However, it was Hamilton who made unwanted headlines during Saturday’s qualifying session.
The Brit struggled in his Mercedes and was knocked out during Q1 after setting a time that was only good enough for 19th place.
Hamilton locked up and went too deep at Turn 12, which ended up ruining his lap.
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Straight after Q1, Hamilton was heard saying on his team radio: "What has happened to this car, guys?"
After the session, Hamilton took to social media to put out a defiant statement despite the huge disappointment.
He wrote on his Instagram story: “Today was painful but you know we are never sent things we cannot handle. We get back up and keep fighting.
“It won't be easy but all we can do is give it our all. Thank you to the guys in the garage for working so hard on the car today. Let's hope for a better day tomorrow.”
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In the immediate aftermath of the session, Hamilton revealed ‘some sort of failure’ during an interview.
He said: “In the sprint, we had some sort of failure from the formation lap on the front suspension and had that throughout the sprint race.
“That made the balance really difficult. We did change a couple of things. It pushed us in the direction of what we would have done yesterday. The car was a nightmare in qualifying.”
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The 39-year-old also hinted at a pit-lane start in order to make further changes to his car.
He added: “I should probably start from the pit lane, otherwise I won't be going anywhere. It’s just a very inconsistent balance and no grip.”
Further up the grid, Hamilton’s teammate George Russell crashed during the third and final qualifying session, meaning he will start sixth, with Norris on pole and Verstappen second.
Topics: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Formula 1
Marcus Chan