Despite finishing sixth in qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton said he was satisfied with the changes made to his SF-26 following yesterday’s work. Unfortunately for him, something was missing at the decisive moment, namely Q3.
While Charles Leclerc will start from the second row after an excellent Q3 performance, Lewis Hamilton will line up for the Miami Grand Prix from the third row, courtesy of the sixth-fastest time set in qualifying.
Half a second off Andrea Kimi Antonelli and two tenths behind Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton endured a difficult Q3 after showing encouraging pace during the first two segments of qualifying.
Lewis said he was pleased not so much with the final result — which cannot be satisfying if you are aiming for victory — but with the clear improvements made in terms of setup and balance, which have convinced him that the team has now found the right direction for the weekend.
“We improved. We made a lot of changes to the car. We didn’t have any software or power issues. I think the changes we made helped us progress and take steps forward. In Q2 the feeling in the car was good, and then when I got to Q3 I wasn’t able to deliver my best.”
“I’m not happy with sixth place, it’s not where I want to be. But I am happy with the changes we made, because we improved.”
“I think the top three is possible. I’ll keep working on it. It would have been nice to start the weekend with this balance. I think the simulator led us in the wrong direction.”
Regarding the competition, Lewis Hamilton pointed out that Mercedes is not currently at the same level as Ferrari and McLaren, having introduced fewer upgrades, although he expects them to respond in Canada. Red Bull, meanwhile, caught the Briton’s attention with the front wing solution introduced in Miami.
“It looks like Mercedes didn’t bring many upgrades. Or rather, they did bring some, but not as many as the others. They have two, we have eight or something like that.”
“Their package will come at the next race. The team has worked really hard to bring our upgrades. It’s a step forward, but the others have also taken a step forward.”
“We’ve seen McLaren bring updates that turned out to be much more effective than they expected. That’s not what we found on our side. They’re doing something different.”
“Red Bull is doing something different with the front wing. We need to analyse that and understand if there’s something we can improve.”
Looking ahead to tomorrow’s race, Lewis believes that the most important factor could be the weather conditions. Rain, which is expected during the race, may play a crucial role, and the extensive wet running he has completed could prove beneficial.
“I think tomorrow, more than track limits, it could be the rain that plays the biggest role. But I’m confident with the balance I had today. I’ve driven these cars and these tyres more than anyone else.”
“At Fiorano it was tough. I did 300 laps in two days. I think if you look at how they changed the temperatures of the blankets for the intermediate tyres, that’s something I suggested and pushed for. It’s been great. It’s nice to see that they’ve taken a step forward. I also said we need to bring back tyre blankets for the full wet tyres. In testing I had them fitted and it was much better. Tomorrow we’ll all have them.”
Leave a Reply