Lewis Hamilton claims he is at a setback ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix race in Jeddah as he struggles with his car.
The seven-time-world champion shocked F1 when he couldn’t climb above P16 and got knocked out of Q1 for the first time since 2017. Unlike Brazil, he didn’t barge his car on a wall this time. A lack of pace got him out.
Because of Daniel Ricciardo’s three-place grid penalty for allegedly blocking Esteban Ocon, Hamilton is supposed to start from P14. However, the Briton claims he got no chance to climb the positions above.
According to him, the car he would be using on Sunday would be similar to what he had in Qualifying. He admitted after his elimination on Saturday that the car was undrivable.
Therefore, he is not optimistic about the race starting in a few hours at the Jeddah corniche circuit. You could never strike off what luck might hit Hamilton during the race.
Also read: Lewis Hamilton vows to fight back after getting knocked out in Q1 in Saudi Arabian GP qualifying
Lewis Hamilton to not start from pitlane?
During his conversation with SkySports, he claimed that he would want to change everything in the car and could start the race from the pitlane.
It seemed like a logical approach, as the probability of crashing in Jeddah is high, and it could allow him to catch the grid under a red flag or safety car.
On the other hand, Toto Wolff also confessed that Mercedes tried something new with Hamilton’s car, but it turned out to be a blunder. He added that it’s time to “wake up” for them.
So, as Wolff’s words aligned with what Hamilton said, it seemed sure that the Briton would start from the pitlane. But this update by the Mercedes star is now incoherent.
Also read: How Lewis Hamilton out in Q1 in Jeddah could be beneficial for Mercedes start?
