Lewis Hamilton quipped he needs “more grip and more power” after a difficult display at Formula 1’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Hamilton was eliminated from Q1 at Jeddah on Saturday but made gains through the early stages of the race, having started on Hard tyres, to move into the points.
But the timing of the Safety Car bunched the field together while Hamilton was unable to pit under a subsequent Virtual Safety Car period because the pit lane entry was closed.
Hamilton eventually came in for his sole stop but re-emerged outside of the points and only crept into the top 10 late on, registering a sole point.
“Right now we’re not fighting for the top step as you know, we’re so far off the guys up ahead,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.
“We need more grip and we need more power.
“Balance-wise, the car felt good, but just not fast enough. The end result isn’t great but the race was going relatively well.
“We were unlucky with how the VSC played out at the end but I was giving it everything.
“Yesterday made the weekend so much harder and I take that on my shoulders.
“It’s gutting but we need to keep fighting, it’s all we can do – I know I’ve got a great team and we’ll just keep our heads down.”
Hamilton is 29 points behind early title leader Charles Leclerc.
… as of this writing, no longer are Daniel Ricciardo, Sebastian Vettel or Fernando Alonso top 10 drivers. Hanging on, by his fingertips, is Lewis Hamition, to F1’s top 5. Clearly, George Russell’s faster, he’s more consistent, more versatile, less political — has a better attitude –
Agreed except Alonso. He is still a winning driver bringing a midfield car to top 10’s and even 5’s when his car doesn’t break down. In fact, I’d say he is still by far the best on the grid as these younger guys are simply really sloppy drivers. Russell (and maybe Norris) is the only one who seems to have Alonso-like potential, but they need good cars ASAP before they lose it like so many promising drivers have before (e.g., Magnussen). If Alonso were in this year’s Ferrari, I think he would be dominating every session. Leclerc is a really weak driver, and Sainz just can’t seem to get a grip on the new cars.
Lewis Hamilton’s a compulsive liar, he’s self-entitled, he’s complacent, plays the race card to obligate, intimidate and disadvantage his contemporaries, plays politics to mollycoddle his weakness, he’s inattentive, has no compunction whatsoever throwing someone under the bus to preserve his niche, and is the most grossly overpaid driver in contemporary motor sport, since Danica Patrick.
Getting lazy, Hamilton is dragging his feet. Last week, it was the Red Bull people who gifted Hamilton a spot on the podium. This week, it’s the safety car that put Hamilton in the points.
When anything goes wrong, always remember, everything’s always Russia’s fault. On account he’s slower than Russell, Hamilton can blame Russia.
LOL so true. I’m sure Trump and the ghost of Hitler had something to do with it too.
Hamilton has no compunction playing the race card to intimidate race bosses and race stewards. And, when his attempt to do so backfires, he disses it off as, a joke. Every time, Jean Todt looked the other way, let him off the hook. Notice, anytime a race boss rules against Hamilton, he winds up getting sacked.
Distinct, unmistakable pattern in Hamilton’s behavior, something about Monaco freaks him out. A meltdown every year, about Monaco, Hamilton always has himself a minor nervous breakdown.
Can’t wait for Mercedes to find its pace and listen to all you clowns start crying how unfair it is
Seriously if you had a single clue between you you guys would be dangerous
Before you arrived..I thought I was watching the wrong GP F1.. Hamilton not doing great..but doing well under circumstances and setup adjustments car needs plenty work… Leclerc looking smart and solid.. Ferrari low on straight line speed..Verstappen..car looks very strong( still a drama queen)..Sainz + Hamilton…very unlucky with the safety car there…Sainz prob P1 without safety car..had the pace.