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Hamilton reassures fans: 'Not a mental problem' as he struggles in Austin
Lewis Hamilton revealed details behind his shock Q1 qualifying exit in the paddock of the Circuit of the Americas after the session. The seven-time F1 world champion has had a difficult weekend so far, topped off by a torrid qualifying session where he will start 19th on the grid. Hamilton has vowed to 'keep fighting' despite the bad fortune in his weekend so far.
Despite a spin in FP1, Hamilton's Friday was solid. He qualified 7th for the sprint after he encountered yellow flags in SQ3. The Brit finished sixth in the sprint race but dealt with some issues, as he explained in the paddock. "It's been pretty terrible. The car felt great yesterday, so obviously, I came really optimistic for today. Something failed in the front suspension literally as we pulled away from the line for the formation lap, and I had that through the race. They figured that out, they changed the corner, and it didn't feel any good. It just felt like a mess, obviously," Hamilton began.
Hamilton: 'I was about to qualify on pole yesterday'
"I was about to qualify for pole yesterday, so it's not a mental problem. When the suspension is failing or breaking, and things aren't coming together-- today, honestly, I can't explain it. You have to ask the team what happened with the suspension. But all I know is that the guys are working as hard as they can. They did the change," he continued. Still, Hamilton scored three points in the sprint.
The 105-time Grand Prix winner also took to Instagram to provide those who support him with his thoughts and feelings about the weekend so far: "Today was painful, but you know we are never sent things we cannot handle. We get back up and keep fighting. It won't be easy, but all we can do is give it our all. Thank you to the guys in the garage for working so hard on the car today, let's hope for a better day tomorrow."
Hamilton still hopeful: 'I could come through the field'
Hamilton will be throwing it back on race day, aiming to move through the field like he used to do in his younger days. "Yeah. There will be a lot going on, but I mean, I started in karts, in a pretty bad go-kart, and I could come through the field, so we'll see how we do." He concluded. The Brit has just six races left with Mercedes before his much-anticipated move to Ferrari at the end of 2024. Hamilton will be hoping for better fortune in the remaining races but still has a job to do first in Texas.
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