Another challenging Sunday at the Qatar Grand Prix forced Lewis Hamilton to analyse both his race pace and the difficulties created by the tyre-strategy constraints. The Mercedes driver faced a race shaped by the mandatory two pit stops imposed by the tyre regulation, a rule that conditioned the entire weekend for every team on the grid.
During the Saturday Sprint, the team opted to split strategies. Charles Leclerc started on the Medium tyres to prioritise durability, while Lewis Hamilton chose the Soft compound to attack aggressively in the opening laps. The choice paid off initially: by the end of lap one, Lewis Hamilton had already climbed to P14, while his teammate slipped down to tenth place.
On lap 7, the Safety Car triggered by the contact between Nico Hülkenberg and Pierre Gasly brought most of the field into the pits for the first mandatory stop. Lewis Hamilton lost precious seconds in the pit-lane traffic and rejoined in 15th position. Both Ferrari drivers returned to the track on Medium tyres for the central stint.
After the first sequence of stops, Lewis Hamilton ran in P14, with Charles Leclerc up in P9. The second compulsory stop arrived on lap 32 to comply with the stint-length limits: Charles Leclerc switched to the Hard compound, while Lewis Hamilton mounted another set of Mediums. Their positions, however, remained unchanged. The seven-time world champion eventually crossed the finish line in P12, limited by insufficient race pace in traffic and by the overtaking difficulties that the Losail circuit is known for.
Hamilton’s comments after the race
At the end of the Qatar GP, Lewis Hamilton explained the obstacles he faced: “We had a good start and I gained a few positions in the first stint, but the Safety Car didn’t work in our favour and I lost two places after the double pit stop. From there I got stuck in a DRS train, which made it hard to move forward on a circuit where overtaking is always tricky.”
The British driver then turned his attention to the final round of the year: “Now the focus is on Abu Dhabi and I hope we can finish the season in a positive way.”
The Qatar GP result confirmed a complicated race for Lewis Hamilton, who now aims to improve and close the championship with a stronger performance in the final event of the season.
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