“So sorry, guys” – Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff admit Mercedes have their task cut out to ensure the former has a solid race on Sunday in Saudi Arabia.
Lewis Hamilton stunned the Formula 1 world with his qualifying performance in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
The seven-time world champion couldn’t get his Mercedes to make it past Q1, a disastrous outing for the greatest-ever on F1 Saturdays.
His boss Toto Wolff provided the reason for what went wrong with the Brit, and how it is a wake-up call for the eight-time consecutive constructors’ champions.
#F1: Wolff on Sky Germany: “We tried something on Lewis’ car that did not work. He had zero grip on the rear axle. Time to wake up for us.” #SaudiArabianGP
— Andreas Haupt (@andihaupt1) March 26, 2022
Lewis Hamilton to finish in Top 5?
The all-time great has time and again performed well from weak positions, something that wouldn’t be a surprise on Sunday. He is expected to take a penalty and start from the pit lane, allowing him a realistic shot at a top 5 finish, after the Ferraris and Red Bulls.
“So sorry, guys. Just struggled with the balance of the car and we are not where we wanted to be. We went the wrong way with the set-up.
“It was something in the set-up that was looking good in FP3. Tried to progress in a similar direction and maybe we went too far. The car was just undrivable – so nervous.
“Well, I’ve got the same car as I had in qualifying, so I don’t anticipate moving that far forwards. But I’ll give it everything.”
