Hamilton: « I know I still have it », despite his struggles in Qatar

Lewis Hamilton claims to still have all his ability to perform at the highest level, despite a disappointing new qualifying session at the Qatar Grand Prix which saw him finish 6th on the grid, far behind his teammate George Russell.

Faced with declining performance, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion is not seeking excuses. Indeed, he acknowledges going through a tough period but categorically refuses to doubt his abilities. “I know I still have it. It’s just that the car can’t go any faster. I definitely know I still have it. There’s no doubt in my mind,” he stated firmly after the qualifying session.

The numbers tell a different story this season. With a time difference of 0.436 seconds compared to Russell, who will start from the first line, the F1 champion does not hide the truth, “I am slow. I am half a second slower in the same car.” These words echo his statements from Friday during the sprint qualifications, where he admitted to no longer being fast, without knowing exactly why or how to fix it. The gap with Russell during this session was 0.399 seconds, confirming an unusual trend that worries the British champion.

The observation is all the more striking for someone who dominates the historical statistics of pole positions in Formula 1. This season marks a turning point, where in all the qualifying sessions, including sprint, the balance clearly leans in favor of his teammate, with only six sessions in his favor out of twenty-three.

An exhausting end of chapter with Mercedes.

Despite these worrying statistics, Hamilton remains pragmatic about his current situation. “It wasn’t a complicated session. My laps were rather good, just half a second slower,” he explains. “I set up my car a bit differently today and honestly, the car was performing well. It’s the first time we made a setup change and the car felt good.”

For today’s Grand Prix, the seven-time world champion will start from the third row, between the two Ferraris. A position that could allow him to compete for a good result, even though he acknowledges that immediate solutions to his performance issues are limited. “It’s not possible to change that now,” he concedes.

Hamilton is set to leave Mercedes at the end of 2024, after 12 years with the team, to join Ferrari. A new chapter that could allow him to get back to his peak performance, but for now, the British champion remains focused on finishing the season with Mercedes, even though he admits, “I can’t wait for it to be over”, surely meaning to finish in order to move on from the Mercedes W105.

During the sprint race, Hamilton showed some encouraging signs, especially during a battle with his future teammate at Ferrari, Charles Leclerc. An experience that pushed him to promise more combativeness for the Grand Prix, “If I find myself in the same position tomorrow, I will fight more, that’s for sure,” he promised.