Lewis Hamilton was almost two seconds slower than Max Verstappen during Qualifying ahead of Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix.
Mercedes’ 2022 season has been very different from what fans of the Silver Arrows have grown to be used to. They don’t have the fastest car anymore, with Red Bull and Ferrari making a leap over them over the winters.
In spite of that, they were always in the hunt for podium finishes, and towards the last few races ahead of the summer break, they showed even better progress. Hamilton and teammate George Russell competed for wins in races like Silverstone, and it really made fans believe they could challenge up front in the second half of the season.
The 2022 season resumed after a three-week summer break this weekend. For Mercedes, however, it turned out to be a gut-wrenching outing so far, as they look miles off the pace of Red Bull and Ferrari.
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Belgian Grand Prix qualifying was a kick in the groin, says Lewis Hamilton
Hamilton is particularly wary of the gap between his W13 and Max Verstappen’s Red Bull. Verstappen is 80 points ahead in the Championship standings and is the firm favorite to lift the Title.
Over the summer break, Red Bull was forced to make adjustments to their floor, owing to new FIA regulations. While Mercedes expected these alterations along with their own hard work to close the gap to Red Bull, it seems to have done the opposite.
Hamilton was almost 2 seconds off Verstappen during Q3 in Spa-Francorchamps, which absolutely shocked him. He lamented over the fact that in spite of them working so hard, it did not seem to help them in any shape of form.
“I didn’t expect to be almost 2 seconds off coming into this weekend,” he said to Sky Sports. “No. I’ve worked hard in the sim. We’ve trained hard, worked hard to make improvements to the car. To be further away than ever before was definitely a kick in the groin.”
Approaching Sunday’s race, however, Hamilton is not pessimistic. Mercedes’ race pace after their recent developments is yet to be seen. The 7-time World Champion qualified P7 for the race, but will start P4 due to grid penalties for Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Esteban Ocon.
Also read: Red Bull boss taunts his $50 Million a year star Max Verstappen during the Belgian Grand Prix’s FP3
