Hamilton and Russell React To 'Absolutely Crazy' Qualifying In Sao Paulo

Saturday, 04 November 2023 at 05:00

Mercedes F1 drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell shared their thoughts after the 2023 Sao Paulo Grand Prix and Interlagos Circuit.

Qualifying in Sao Paulo led to a disappointing end for F1 fans when the session had to be ended sooner due to extreme weather conditions at the circuit.

It was in the middle of the Q3 session that a huge storm hit the circuit, and drivers basically parked their cars in garages, as it was clear nobody would improve on their laps after that.

Almost every driver mentioned they were unsatisfied with their lap, as tricky weather conditions made it challenging to put a decent lap together. The Mercedes drivers managed to score P5 and P6 in the end.

Even though Lewis Hamilton started from P6 in Mexico City last week and managed to finish in P2, he did not seem satisfied with his performance.

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The seven-time World Champion told Viaplay: "I mean, it's fifth [place], fifth is never that great. I did the best I could. Hopefully, we'll have a better race."

His teammate, George Russell, who put his Mercedes in P6, reflected in the crazy weather conditions. The 25-year-old told Viaplay he has "never ever seen a change of weather so drastically."

"This is absolutely crazy, I've never ever seen a change of weather so drastically as that. I was really disappointed with the lap. On my lap I was just sliding around, I had no grip."

The number 63 driver was 0,863 seconds of the pole position, and he mentioned he did not even want to finish the lap as he thought it was so bad, but in the end, it was enough for the sixth position.

"I didn't see that much rain on my visor. I was a second off, but I actually wanted to pit because I was confident I was going to be last and ended up with P6,"

As opposed to Hamilton, Russell thinks P6 is "definitely not a bad place to start." The 25-year-old won last year's race at Intarlagos and seems positive going into the rest of the weekend.

"So while it was disappointing and frustrating, P6 is definitely not a bad place to start. The team did a great job, the car has been performing well here, and we know it's all about race pace, so let's see how we perform on Saturday/Sunday."