Hamilton Baffled by Qualifying Pace Loss
Lewis Hamilton was left baffled by a sudden drop in performance during qualifying for the F1 Canadian Grand Prix, while his Mercedes teammate George Russell took pole position.
Seven-times world champion Hamilton topped the final free practice session with a stunning lap, and the Mercedes pair appeared to be favourites to take pole and possibly secure a rare full front row in Montreal. Russell managed to secure pole ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, but Hamilton could only manage seventh place after his pace dropped drastically in Q3. It was the first time in Hamilton’s career that he did not qualify for the top five in Canada.
Hamilton was surprised by the drop in performance, explaining that the grip he felt in the W15 earlier “disappeared” during qualifying. “The car was great all weekend, and once we got into qualifying, it kind of disappeared for me,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1. “The grip just disappears for me. In P3, I had a lot of pace in me, and then I got to qualifying and the tyres didn’t work. Nothing has changed in the car.”
Hamilton and Russell benefited from new upgrades to Mercedes’ W15 this weekend, with both drivers praising the team’s progress. “Congratulations to George for a great job. It’s really great for the team,” added Hamilton. “Obviously, everyone has worked really hard to bring updates back to the factory, so this will be a big boost for everyone at the factory.”
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was also unable to explain why Hamilton’s session fell apart. “It looked like Lewis really had the advantage, and both cars were comfortably beating everyone,” Wolff told Sky Sports F1. “And then, in the end, it got so tight, also for George, and Lewis’ time didn’t show up. We couldn’t understand at the moment why it wasn’t a little more in our favour.”
The situation was made worse by the fact that both Hamilton and Russell praised the updates brought to the car, highlighting that the Mercedes team had taken a significant step forward. This makes Hamilton’s drop in performance all the more inexplicable given that he led practice and appeared to have enough pace to challenge for pole position.
Hamilton and the Mercedes team now need to analyse the data to understand what caused the sudden loss of grip and ensure they can recover and return to their expected performance in the upcoming races. With a season of ups and downs, consistency will be crucial if Hamilton is to continue fighting for the world title.
Hamilton’s unexpected drop in performance in Montreal serves as a reminder of how unpredictable Formula 1 can be and how even the best drivers and teams can face unexpected challenges in their quest for excellence.
