'We Won't Be Winning': Hamilton States After 'Horrible' Sprint Race In Sao Paulo
F1Sunday, 05 November 2023 at 15:00
Mercedes F1 driver Lewis Hamilton reacted to the 2023 Sao Paulo Grand Prix Sprint Race at Interlagos Circuit.
After sliding into P5 during the Sprint Shootout behind his teammate George Russell, Lewis Hamilton started the Sprint Race from fifth place on the grid alongside Yuki Tsunoda on AlphaTauri.
Both Mercedes drivers had an auspicious start of the line when Russell overtook Sergio Perez in a matter of first three turns, Hamilton overtook the Mexican into turn 4, and Russell even overtook Norris for the second place, all in the first lap.
For one or two laps, it looked like Mercedes drivers might challenge for the top of the podium, but then their pace fell off. Lewis Hamilton, who was at one point in P4, fell down the grid to finish in final P7.
What added salt to his wound was that he got even overtaken by the Tsunoda on his supposedly slower AlpaTauri. The seven-time World Champion told Sky F1 after the sprint race:
"It was horrible. I had a good start, and then after that, just struggled with the balance, a lot of understeer and snap oversteer, and I was just fighting the car from really early on."
The 38-year-old mentioned he struggled with basically everything, which is not a positive indication for the race on Sunday, where he will start from the same position as he did in the sprint race - P5.
"And then I had no tyres in the end, and I don’t really know how I’m going to fix that for tomorrow. It’s going to be a long afternoon tomorrow, that’s for sure. I could only assume I’ve got the setup wrong and it is what it is."
The seven-time World Champion managed to exceed expectations after trashing his car a couple of times in the past, but this time, he made it clear he won't be winning the 2023 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
"I’ll fight as hard as I can tomorrow, but we won’t be winning, that’s for sure. So I’ll just be trying to see if I can manage the tires a little bit better tomorrow."
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