After a pretty disappointing result during qualifying, Lewis Hamilton was flying on the iconic Vegas strip at the Las Vegas GP. Starting from P10 on the grid, the #44 driver made an incredible surge through the field. At one point, it looked like he was set to snatch the win away from his teammate George Russell. But in the end, he had to settle down for a pretty spectacular P2.
Throughout the weekend, Hamilton looked like the man to beat. However, a mistake on his first Q3 lap meant he ended up on the fifth row on the grid for the race on Saturday. Speaking about how the evening panned out, Hamilton was introspective. “If I’d done my job yesterday, it would have been a breeze today,” he told Jenson Button post-race.
“But it’s ok. I had fun coming from 10th. The team did a fantastic job,” he added. The seven-time world champion wrapped up the fifth podium of the season — in what was his last outing in Nevada for the Silver Arrows.
P10 > P2.
Form is temporary, class is permanent.
Lewis Hamilton is your driver of the day in Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/sSRLHk4EB0
— Autosport (@autosport) November 24, 2024
As the Briton explained, the W15 was arguably the fastest car on the grid. And in the dying embers of the race, Hamilton was the fastest driver. Catching Russell at the rate of naught, a slight mistake on lap 47 meant he lost the advantage he had over his teammate.
Bear in mind, though, that Russell did have six lap fresher hard tires meaning it was always going to be a tall order for Hamilton to catch up with the #63 driver. That said, what Hamilton was referring to was his starting position.
The Mercedes had enough pace to lock out the front row for the Grand Prix. If that would have been the case, Hamilton could have been fighting for his third win of the season — and possibly his last for Mercedes. With two races to go, Hamilton will be gearing up to start yet another illustrious chapter in his F1 career over at Ferrari in 2025.
