'Furious' Hamilton Takes Responsibility For P6 In Qualifying: 'No One To Blame But Myself'
F1Saturday, 31 August 2024 at 18:31
Mercedes F1 driver Lewis Hamilton took ownership of qualifying only in the third row for the 2024 Italian Grand Prix.
As opposed to the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix, Mercedes cars have looked strong pretty much from the first practice session of the weekend (despite problems with a very hot seat). Lewis Hamilton topped the timing sheets in both FP2 and FP3.
Consequently, Lewis Hamilton was expected to perform well during the qualifying session on Saturday, and he looked fast, putting in the fastest time in Q2.
However, Hamilton could not quite replicate it in Q3 and qualified only in P6—three positions behind his teammate George Russell (P3), who will start the race from the second row. Asked how he was feeling after the end of the qualifying session at Monza Circuit, Hamilton told Sky Sports:
"Furious, absolutely furious. That could have been pole. I think I could have been on the front row, at least on the front row and I just didn't do the job in the end."
Hamilton driving through "Parabolica" - the final corner of the Monza Circuit
What was quite bizarre was that Hamilton's time was only 0,073 seconds slower than his teammate's. Less than one-tenth separated him from Oscar Piatri in second place, and only 0,186 seconds separated him from pole.
"Lost a tenth and a half through turn one and two, and then I lost another tenth in the last corner. So, no one to blame but myself. Qualifying has been my weakness for a minute now, and I can't figure it out. I'll keep trying."
Asked what he can try and do before the race on Sunday to ensure that he maximizes his potential in the Grand Prix race, the Mercedes F1 driver responded:
"I'll be kicking myself for the next couple of hours, and then, ultimately, I've got to move forward. We have a good race car."
"The team have done an amazing job this weekend. The car has been feeling so much better than last race, and the team deserved better."
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