“They came flying, slingshotted past me” – Lewis Hamilton is concerned after struggling to get past the Haas of Kevin Magnussen during the Saudi Arabian GP.
Lewis Hamilton’s season is going from average to poor, with the seven-time world champion only managing a P10 finish in Jeddah.
He had qualified P16 for the race, after a disastrous qualifying, but did well to climb up to P6. But a stop for fresh tyres led to him dropping places, and eventually managing only a top 10 finish.
“I struggled at the beginning with the tyre temperatures and then it started getting a bit better and I started to gain on the guys up ahead.
“And then I think they were on the medium tyres, they started to drop off and it was a really good stint and I was pushing, I think I was doing the same times pretty much as George [Russell] on new hards.
“So I was feeling good at that point and then it all hit the fan during those cars [Alonso and Ricciardo] stopping.”
It was a tense race in Saudi Arabia and a good points haul for @MercedesAMGF1 😎
The double points finish certainly displayed the top-notch talent of our drivers 👌
Join us again in two weeks’ time at Albert Park for the #AustralianGP 🙌#OutRaceYourself #F1 #SaudiArabianGP pic.twitter.com/TkT7IAvJOQ
— PETRONAS Motorsports (@PET_Motorsports) March 27, 2022
Mercedes struggling against Haas this season?
Kevin Magnussen gave Hamilton a tough time as they jostled for the track position. This has the Brit worried, as he feels no improvement over the season-opener in Bahrain.
“I don’t particularly feel like…not much has changed really since the last race.
“It’s only been a few days. What I know is that today I couldn’t keep up with the Haas at the end, the power they have, they came flying, slingshotted past me, when I overtook Magnussen earlier on in the race.
“So we’ve got a lot of work to do for sure, but I know I’ve got a great team and we’ll just keep our heads down and try to improve.”
