Hamilton slams Mercedes' performance: 'The car is on rails'

F1 News

Hamilton frustrated with Mercedes temperature issues
20 July at 19:00
Last update 20 July at 19:01
  • Sophia Crothall

It was a difficult Saturday for Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion struggled during qualifying, with his teammate George Russell worse-off after being knocked out in Q1. Overall, it was a tricky session for the team, which did not leave Hamilton happy at all. 

Despite two strong weekends across the triple-header, and previous good performances in Hungary, something was not right for the Silver Arrows today. Russell went out in Q1, and Hamilton, who has started on pole nine times in Hungary, only qualified fifth. Speaking to GPblog and others in the paddock, the Brit aired his frustrations: "I've struggled this weekend with the car. The car has just been, particularly in the heat, it's been really, really difficult to find a balance where the car is not snappy," he said. Mercedes, who have become a title-contender once again, could not match the performance of others. This left Hamilton questioning the team's decisions, "If you look at the Red Bull and the McLaren, they never have any oversteer. The car is just on rails."

What has caused Mercedes' issues?

Hamilton explained that much of the issues the team faced were due to the heat. Whilst the car initially started well in the cool, wet conditions, it then could not perform as highly as the heat increased, hence the struggle. "Not ideal and not great for George either because he was looking better, at least for me, through practice and then to be where he is." Russell will start P17 on Sunday.

With temperatures predicted to reach in the 30's (degrees celcius), the seven-time world champion is concerned for the team. "For sure. I heard it's going to be roasting like yesterday. So, that's not going to be fun. Everyone's going to be in a similar position. It'll just be really interesting. If the guys ahead pull away, it's either because they've got more downforce or they have more cooling on their tyres than we do. Or they have both. Time will tell," he concluded.