Lewis Hamilton reflected on what turned out to be an unlucky and frustrating day at the United States Grand Prix, where early promise quickly gave way to disappointment due to a yellow flag that hindered his strong performance. The Mercedes driver, who has faced a string of challenges recently, once again found himself battling bad luck despite showing flashes of brilliance in Sprint Qualifying.
Hamilton’s early pace around the Circuit of the Americas had fans and his team buzzing with excitement. He delivered an outstanding performance in SQ1, clocking some of the fastest laps on the track and finishing just behind Max Verstappen. At this point, the seven-time world champion appeared poised for a strong weekend in Austin.
However, as the session progressed, Hamilton’s fortunes took a sharp downturn. In SQ3, a yellow flag was brought out, causing him to lose crucial time. Hamilton had been four-tenths of a second faster on his hot lap, but the flag halted his progress. Reflecting on the incident, Hamilton said, “Just got unlucky with the yellow flag. It is what it is. I was four-tenths up.”
Despite the frustration, Hamilton was quick to acknowledge the progress made by the Mercedes team in terms of upgrades. The team had introduced modifications aimed at improving the car’s aerodynamics, and Hamilton felt the changes had indeed worked. He praised the factory team’s hard work in implementing the upgrades, noting the clear improvement in the car’s overall performance.
“The good thing is the team has made a step with the car, the upgrades have clearly worked. I’m really grateful to everyone back at the factory for all the hard work,” said Hamilton, expressing optimism despite the setback.
Though the qualifying session didn’t go as planned, Hamilton remained hopeful about his chances in the Sprint race. He acknowledged the impressive work done by his team between the sessions, where adjustments to the car made a significant difference.
“It’s not the end of the day. Tomorrow we get another chance. We did a great job in between sessions to make changes to the car and it’s always a bit of a gamble, but as soon as I got out of the car, it was a night and day difference,” Hamilton said, highlighting the gamble of making changes but feeling confident with the improvements.
With only six races left in the season, Hamilton is eager to capitalize on his remaining time with Mercedes before his highly anticipated move to Ferrari in 2025. While the day may not have gone his way, Hamilton’s determination to finish his final season with Mercedes on a high remains strong. He is focused on securing more victories and giving back to the team that has supported him throughout his championship-winning career.
Hamilton knows the importance of maximizing every opportunity as he faces his final races with the Silver Arrows. And despite the frustration in Austin, the Briton remains hopeful of delivering more standout performances before the season ends.
