Chilled Hamilton reflects on last Mercedes qualifying: 'I don't feel pain'
F1 News
Lewis Hamilton has reflected on his disappointing final qualifying session as a Mercedes driver in Abu Dhabi. The seven-time world champion will end his lengthy partnership with Mercedes this weekend as he moves to Ferrari. After a strange incident in Q1, the Brit was eliminated from the session with a bollard stuck underneath his W15. Despite the elimination, Hamilton is still hoping to enjoy his final weekend with the team he's had so much success with.
"I don't have any emotions. I'm pretty chilled. It was an unfortunate session, and we got the bollard under the car," Hamilton told GPblog and other media present in the paddock of the Yas Marina Circuit.
The Brit had an on-track bollard stuck underneath his W15 in the final phase of his Q1 lap. Kevin Magnussen, who looked to get out of the way of Hamilton, ran over it, which peculiarly ended up in Hamilton's path. Still, Mercedes weren't happy with the session. Hamilton only got to the line with five seconds to go in the session. "The car was turning really good in general. In FP3, I was third. Honestly, I thought we were going to be fighting for a podium. My race pace was second quickest," he continued.
Hamilton reflects on 'unfortunate' session:
"The timing for that to get under the car is just nuts," Hamilton said when asked about the bollard which ruined his session. "I don't feel the pain in the teeth as such. I think, for me, I've just been very present, I've been enjoying every moment, I've got the car in a really good place, the setup changes we've been making, the car's been completely different to the last five races this weekend, it's been feeling really great, and so it is unfortunate," Hamilton explained.
"I'll see how far I can go"
Finally, the Brit was asked about his expectations for tomorrow's Grand Prix. "It's not going to be easy to overtake tomorrow, but I'm working on strategy now, and instead of fighting for a podium, I see how far I can get into the top ten. That would be amazing. I feel like I made it. I survived a very, very hardcore year. I'm going to be sad not to be racing anymore this year, but I think next year will come around soon enough. I'm going to miss all these people that I've got to work with." Hamilton concluded.
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