Hamilton Suggests Mercedes Might Be In Trouble For Qualifying In Abu Dhabi

Saturday, 25 November 2023 at 12:00

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton talked about the Qualification for the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix following the FP2 session at Yas Marina Circuit.

The Mercedes F1 driver Lewis Hamilton missed out on the first practice session in Abu Dhabi as he let rookie driver Frederik Vesti borrow his car.

The 38-year-old finished P8 in the second free practice session. His lap was half of a second slower than the fastest lap of the session set by Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.

When asked whether he was happy with his day following the Free Practice Session 2, the seven-time World Champion told the media:

"Not particularly no, it was not the greatest of days. I think I only got about four timed laps really, which is not a lot in a day in terms of your knowledge of the car and the track."

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While Hamilton says he did not gain a lot of track knowledge, Yas Marina Circuit is a track he has driven multiple times in the past and knows really well.

While saying he wants to get some more running in FP3, the 38-year-old hinted he was not sure if he could get his car inside the top 10 in qualifying (which he didn't during the last race in Las Vegas)

"The car doesn’t feel bad, we’re not in a terrible place. I just hope I get some more running [on Saturday]. I’m going to try and see if there’s a way to get into Q3."

The last 3 Grand Prix weekends have been challenging for Lewis Hamilton in terms of qualifying pace. He qualified P11 in Las Vegas, P5 in Sao Paulo, and P6 in Mexico City.

"We’ve had difficult qualifying sessions, and getting out of Q1 and into Q2 has always been a tough battle. Even just getting into Q3 is a challenge."

It will be crucial for Mercedes to qualify inside the top ten in order to have a good start to the race that will decide their Constructors' Championship position. Hamilton concluded:

"The work on Saturday morning has to be making sure we get into Q3. I think it’s going to be close. George [Russell] is looking good, he might be in a better place, but he didn’t miss FP1. But I’m not going to make any excuses, I’m just going to get on it."