Lewis Hamilton has expressed his disappointment with his performance in the Austrian Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying. He admitted to making mistakes and setting laps below his expectations, which ultimately led to a disastrous session for him. Despite showing promising pace in practice, Hamilton failed to replicate it when it mattered most.
During the first stage of Sprint Qualifying, Hamilton was forced to abandon his lap due to a slide at Turn 1 and a trip into the gravel. His second attempt also did not go as planned, leaving him in a precarious position. Although he managed to qualify for the final stage, his sole effort for pole position was only good enough for sixth place, two positions and two-tenths of a second behind teammate George Russell.
Reflecting on his performance, Hamilton described the session as a disaster from his perspective. Although he acknowledged they did not have the pace to be on pole, he attributed his poor result to his own mistakes. He described his laps as “very bad” and expressed disappointment at not being able to fight at the front.
Looking ahead to the race, Hamilton was unsure of his chances of recovering ground. He acknowledged that overtaking is difficult at this circuit and stressed the importance of getting a better starting position for the main grand prix. He remained optimistic, but realistic about his prospects.
In contrast, George Russell, who had been the closest challenger to pole Max Verstappen during the second stage of the Sprint Qualifying, was perplexed by his loss of pace. He wondered if pushing too hard on his warm-up lap affected his performance, as he found himself more than three-tenths of a second behind the leader.
Despite the disappointment, Russell felt positive about his overall performance. He thought he had done a strong lap and was surprised by the gap to the front runners. He speculated that his tires may have suffered excessive wear during the warm-up lap, which could have affected his grip. However, he was happy with his fourth place and looked forward to the fight in the main race.
Russell remained optimistic about his chances in the shortened race and saw himself as a contender for a podium place. He recognized the importance of focusing on the main race, but was also proud of Mercedes’ progress as they now regularly compete at the front. He believed they were ahead of Ferrari and slightly behind McLaren in terms of performance.
