HAMILTON: “WE WON’T BE ABLE TO FIGHT WITH THE CARS AHEAD IN THE RACE”
Lewis Hamilton, while not optimistic about competing with the front cars in the Mexico race, aims to finish the race this time after Austin.
Hamilton, who was 0.7 seconds behind Carlos Sainz in pole position during qualifying, will start the race from sixth place on Sunday. The Mercedes driver feels that the car regressed during qualifying after a promising third practice session.
In his statement after the session, Hamilton said, “The third practice session felt good, and I thought we were on the right track, so I decided not to make any changes to the car. We just opted for a larger wing to gain more downforce. However, when we went out for qualifying, there was no grip at the rear. It felt like everything had turned upside down.”
He added, “Since I’m driving an updated car, I expected it to be faster, but unfortunately, it’s not.”
Hamilton doubts he will be able to compete with the drivers ahead due to the lack of speed. “I don’t think we’ll be able to race with the cars in front on Sunday because they’re just too fast. But this time, I want to make it to the end of the race.”