Lewis Hamilton: « I could have been first or second » without poor « communication »
During the last session of the Sprint Shootout, Lewis Hamilton's fast lap was impacted by heavy traffic and a surprising move from his teammate George Russell.
Big mishap at Mercedes during the Sprint Shootout session. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell came dangerously close to colliding in the final qualifying session for the Sprint race. Number 63 (Russell) appeared to be somewhat distracted as he seemingly impeded his teammate on the track, going off track at the first corner before rejoining just in front of Hamilton. The two drivers drove very closely together until the Eau Rouge and Raidillon corners, but Hamilton had to slow down to avoid a collision with his teammate as they approached the Kemmel straight.
The seven-time champion regrets a communication error from the team above all. “We are obviously not satisfied with the situation,”, declared the 38-year-old driver to Sky Sports.
“It was a really fun session and it was shaping up really well towards the end. I managed to pull off a lap that put me in first for the initial lap I did, and I knew I could go faster,” Lewis Hamilton stated. “I think I could have been first or second on that last lap. The communication was quite poor, it was hard to understand – we got to the last corner and there were seven cars driving slowly,” he continued.
It is precisely this poor communication that contributed to preventing him from making a better lap… But also George Russell, to whom he does not however blame. “We thought we didn’t have any more time, that’s why we were pushing, but it turned out we still had a lot of time. For George… it’s like that, it doesn’t really matter.”
The Briton doesn’t lose hope and remains optimistic for the Sprint: “« I feel very comfortable in the car in all conditions, we are a bit slower than the Red Bulls, but none of us have yet driven with a heavier fuel tank, so I am excited,” he admitted.
“It was a real mess”
On his side, George Russell was particularly frustrated with the entirety of the Sprint Shootout. “It was a real mess from start to finish. I’m surprised I made it to Q3 because I made so many mistakes on my part and then there was a misunderstanding at the end,” he explained to F1 TV, referring to his mistake with Lewis Hamilton.
“We were stressed by the countdown and I think we had more time than expected,” he continues, confirming his teammate’s words. “I was too close to the car in front of me, Lewis was too close to me. Bad, bad session,” summarizes the 25-year-old Briton.
Lewis Hamilton will start from 7th place for the Sprint, while George Russell will start 10th. It should be noted that the Sprint race is delayed by 35 minutes; it will therefore start at 17:05.
