Hamilton: “It could have been worse”
Twelfth at the finish, the end of the adventure with Mercedes is far from ideal for Lewis Hamilton. Two penalties and a puncture made his race in Qatar very complicated. However, the British driver believes that the situation could have been worse since the team had asked him to retire.
He might be the one anticipating the next season the most. Despite a brilliant second place last week in Las Vegas, just behind his teammate George Russell, the end of the season and especially the Mercedes adventure feels like a “bad end” after another tough round in Qatar. Sixth in the sprint race on Saturday, the seven-time world champion finished in the same position during qualifying, far behind his teammate. While the Briton hoped to achieve a good result considering his speed during the races, nothing worked out for him this Sunday.
Two penalties and a flat tire for a 12th place finish at the arrival.
From the start, Hamilton makes a mistake by leaving before the red lights go out. An error that results in a five-second penalty, in addition to the three positions he loses for hesitating after jumping the start. On the 34th lap, while settled in seventh place, he suffers a puncture to his front left tire after driving over debris from Alex Albon’s car’s rearview mirror. Last after this pit stop, the British driver is then sanctioned a second time by the FIA for exceeding the speed limit in the pits. A new penalty that forces him to enter the pits for a third time.
Very quickly, he asks the team if he can give up. However, while Mercedes had accepted his request, he changes his mind and finishes twelfth. A very distant position, symbolizing a new difficult weekend for the Briton, even though he takes some satisfaction in having completed this race.
« It could have been worse, but I finished and it’s over. As for the start, it’s my fault. And then the puncture was really unfortunate. As for the speeding in the pit lane, it was also my fault. But I will get back up and give my best again.
» A daily frustration that he is finding increasingly difficult to contain, especially since he announced a few days ago that he simply wanted to be on vacation already and prepare for his new adventure at Ferrari, especially since he has to deal with a car that doesn’t suit his driving style.
An understeering car
« We did not set up the wing properly. It happened several times. There wasn’t enough front wing on the car, and the car didn’t want to turn. So I was in massive understeer for a long time.
» The British driver adds that this lack of support may have caused his puncture. As he prepares to compete in his final Grand Prix with Mercedes after 12 years of partnership with the German team, Hamilton does not expect to end on a high note, even if he hopes to achieve one last good result with Mercedes.
« I don’t think we’re going to finish on a high. I don’t expect a particularly better weekend than the previous ones, but I will do my best, of course. I’m going in with little hope and I might come out with a better result than expected − it doesn’t make a big difference in both cases.
»
Despite a difficult end to the season, Lewis’s career at Mercedes has mainly been successful, including six championship titles, 153 podium finishes, and 84 victories. A final dance before donning red in 2025.
