Lewis Hamilton at zero during Qualifying!
Lewis Hamilton takes full responsibility for his mistakes during Qualifying in Baku. Ranked only 10th following an eliminatory error in Q3, the reigning world champion simply couldn't find the necessary speed and rhythm between the rails of the Azeri city.
What a contrast between the performances of the Mercedes driver during the different sessions! Dominant in the three free practice sessions, Lewis Hamilton returned to the journalists’ microphones about his difficult qualifying.
« I had a fantastic rhythm yesterday, but today it was zero! These are things that sometimes happen. I had a difficult session, one of those you don’t need. »
Already struggling in Q2 with a last-minute advance after being impeded by a yellow flag on his first flying lap, the reigning world champion was once again in trouble at the start of Q3 after running off at the escape area of turn 15.
Standing in tenth place at the time of his last run, it was necessary to attack. But a brush with the inside wall of turn 9 (after the narrow passage of turn 8) definitively ended his chances. With a broken steering rod, Hamilton was then forced to get out of the car.
The Englishman seemed to be racing against time during the three qualifying sessions, constantly struggling with his car, especially during braking. But what is the sudden cause of all his troubles?
The car was good. It’s on me, I don’t know what happened. I couldn’t accurately climb the curbs or catch the right braking zones.
“The car was good. It was me. I just wasn’t on it” – @LewisHamilton https://t.co/G9Yt01UMic #F1Baku #EuropeGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/aeJf902llN
— Formula 1 (@F1) 18 juin 2016
Obviously, this modest tenth place complicates his plans. Now nine points behind the leader in the drivers’ standings, held by Nico Rosberg, he finds himself once again in a difficult position, especially as the German will start in Pole Position! That being said, Hamilton does not regret his strategy of the day:
« I just wanted to get the best possible position. I did everything I could. Now, I am convinced that I can’t win the race. My job now is to overtake as many cars in front of me as possible. »
For his part, Toto Wolff regrets not being able to show the total supremacy of his two cars over the rest of the pack:
The car had the potential to qualify on the front row. We were one second faster than our opponents and we find ourselves tenth with Lewis. This is clearly not what we expected.
« He clearly missed an opportunity here. On a street circuit like this one, it’s very difficult if you’re not in the rhythm. But it’s the first time Lewis has encountered this kind of difficulty. He has been impeccable up to now. »
Despite his strong position, Nico Rosberg, for his part, refuses to get carried away. Let’s recall, for example, that Hamilton made two spectacular comebacks in China (from 22nd to 7th place at the finish), or in Russia (from 10th place to 2nd place).
« We must not forget Lewis » thus reminds the driver of the car with the number 6. « He can always come back, even from this tenth place. »
« I am sure that this race will be very exciting. It is one of the circuits where overtaking will be the easiest, so there may be a lot of position changes. »
This is about not sidelining Lewis Hamilton as the very first Grand Prix in Baku approaches. Especially since the pace shown by his teammate in Qualifying is very impressive. The Mercedes cars have had, on average, a one-second-per-lap advantage over their closest competitors!
