Lewis Hamilton continued to struggle during the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifying session as he only managed to register the eleventh fastest time before finishing ninth in the main race. Throughout the season, the Briton has consistently criticized the W-14 for a variety of reasons. However, in light of persistent difficulties, especially with regard to controlling the car, Sky sports analyst Ant has now offered an interesting perspective.
In a comprehensive analysis, Ant identifies substantial issues that hindered Hamilton’s pursuit of peak performance. According to the analyst, during Hamilton’s first run in Q2, he seemed to be “fighting with the car” in the final sector.
Besides this, Ant also mentioned how the track’s conditions changed during qualifying, which might have played a role in Hamilton’s loss of control in his last sector. Considering all these factors Ant said, “When you lose confidence in one of these cars through a section like that, the lap time just falls away.”
While concluding his analysis, the expert then pointed out a noticeable disparity in the balance of the two W-14 cars. Ant specifically indicated that while Hamilton faced challenges in qualifying, George Russell benefited from a well-balanced W-14.
The expert said, “I can clearly see what he [Hamilton] means that there’s something not right there and I don’t see a similar balance with George Russell’s car through that final sector where he looks very strong.”
How did Lewis Hamilton react after his qualifying performance?
Struggling with the W-14’s unpredictability during Abu Dhabi qualifying, Lewis Hamilton exerted considerable effort to progress through Q2. Unfortunately, his attempt fell short as other drivers improved their lap times forcing Hamilton out of contention for Q3.
However, upon discovering his exclusion from the session, Hamilton voiced discontent about the W-14, stating, “There’s something amiss with this car.” Nevertheless, in post-qualifying media discussions, the 38-year-old elaborated on the specific problems he encountered.
He said, “It’s just up and down per corner from the moment you hit the brakes, the moment you turn, the moment you hit the apex. It’s just a very unpredictable car.”
Later Hamilton then also expressed his annoyance at being eliminated in the second round of qualifying for two consecutive races. Nonetheless, as he concluded the discussion, the Briton displayed satisfaction that he only had to navigate the erratic behavior of the car for the last qualifying session of the season.
