Lewis Hamilton, the British driver of Mercedes AMG F1, had a challenging qualifying session for the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix. Despite his previous success at Albert Park, where he holds the record for eight pole positions, Hamilton found himself unexpectedly eliminated in Q2. He described his Mercedes W15 as being « on a knife edge » throughout the session, indicating the difficulty he faced in finding the right balance. In the final practice sessions, Hamilton showed promise by finishing fourth, just 0.092s behind Charles Leclerc of Ferrari. However, this pace did not carry over to qualifying, where he finished 11th and missed out on the top-10 for the first time since 2010. Despite the disappointment, Hamilton remained optimistic and acknowledged that every setback provides new opportunities for learning.
Hamilton attributed the change in performance to various factors, including the increase in wind during qualifying. He explained that the car became much more unpredictable and challenging to control in these conditions. While his teammate George Russell managed to secure a spot in Q3 and finished seventh, Hamilton found himself in a familiar situation. He compared this to his experiences in 2022, when he experimented with different setups to help the team navigate the changes brought by the F1 ground effect era. Hamilton expressed confidence that they are closer to finding a solution this time, but recognized the need to keep trying different approaches.
Overall, Hamilton’s qualifying performance was unexpected and below his past achievements at Albert Park. Despite the challenges, he remained positive and focused on learning from the experience.
L’histoire de Hamilton et de Mercedes a été caractérisée par l’imprévisibilité ces dernières saisons, un défi que Russell a également dû affronter. Les deux pilotes sont souvent incertains quant aux performances de leurs voitures, mais Hamilton croit que si l’équipe parvient à découvrir comment tirer de manière constante les performances, Mercedes pourra rivaliser en tête du peloton. Hamilton a exprimé sa frustration face à l’incohérence, affirmant qu’il y a des moments où cela semble prometteur, mais qui disparaissent ensuite. Il a souligné la nécessité de trouver le potentiel de la voiture et de le maintenir de manière constante pour être plus compétitif. Malgré les défis, Hamilton a reconnu le travail acharné de tous dans l’équipe.
En ce qui concerne le prochain Grand Prix d’Australie, l’objectif immédiat de Hamilton est de transformer sa position de départ en 11e place en un résultat respectable en termes de points. Cependant, il a admis son incertitude quant à son rythme de course, n’ayant pas encore effectué de longue course lors des essais. Hamilton a reconnu la vitesse de ses concurrents, mais est resté déterminé à donner le meilleur de lui-même. Face à un autre jour de qualification décevant, il reste à voir si Hamilton sera en mesure de faire un retour solide et de marquer des points précieux en course.
