Lewis Hamilton has insisted that he does not plan to leave Mercedes despite his recent problems and after finishing qualifying in Saudi Arabia in eighth place; Watch the Saudi Arabian GP live on Sunday from 3:30pm on Sky Sports F1
Lewis Hamilton admitted it’s a “miserable” feeling not to be “connected” to his car as he continued to struggle for pace in the Mercedes in Saudi Arabia.
Hamilton could only manage eighth in qualifying but will start seventh following a 10-place grid penalty from Charles Leclerc as he remained more than three-tenths behind teammate George Russell in Q3, who finished fourth and will start Sunday’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in third.
Hamilton has complained about his team’s concept car since last season and, after another difficult day, admits he is finding it “difficult” despite giving “everything” for the team.
“I feel like I had problems with the car particularly at high speed,” Hamilton said.
“But I just don’t feel the car under me, I just don’t feel connected to this car and I can’t get it.
“I really don’t know what I’m going to do about it.
“It’s miserable. It’s hard, I’m giving absolutely everything.
“I’m here as late as I can every day and I’m preparing the best I can and I get in the car and I just can’t connect with it.
“I really don’t know what to say about it.
“It’s good that George had a good run today so that’s great. Hopefully he can score some good points for the team and I’ll try to bounce back tomorrow, it’s a new day.”
“I’ll give it my all.”
He later explained that his car is set up slightly differently than teammate Russell’s and suggested that he is as much to blame as the team.
“George can put the car in a different place than me. I just struggled to extract performance from the car,” he added.
“It’s mainly me. At high speed the car is a bit unstable in the setup.”
“It’s a little different [to George]. There’s only one thing in particular that I do differently, but maybe it’ll be okay for tomorrow. I wouldn’t hold my breath.
“The car is where it is. George did a great job. He’s right on the second row, so the car obviously has performance.”
“I just don’t feel connected to this car and no matter what I do and no matter what I change, I can’t have confidence in it. I’m kind of lost with it.”
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff admitted earlier this week that Hamilton “needs to consider” joining other teams in the future if Mercedes cannot provide him with a winning car.
However, the seven-time world champion insisted that he does not plan to move elsewhere and that he “loves” his team.
“I’m not focused on that. I love this team and I’m very grateful for everyone who has been on the journey with me with this team. I can’t imagine being anywhere else,” Hamilton said.
“I don’t see myself giving up. I don’t feel like I’m going to quit, but I wouldn’t say it’s giving me much. I’ve been there and done that and bought the jersey many times.”
“But I’m trying to be patient and work with the team to get us to a good place. That’s all I can say right now. I don’t plan on going anywhere else.”
Brundle: Merc is not in ‘crisis’ but has a lot of work to do
Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle believes that although Mercedes is not yet facing a “crisis”, they have to make some big changes if they are to start seeing improvements on the track.
“I don’t think it’s a crisis, I think it’s too strong a word, but they have a lot of work to do,” Brundle said.
“They will have to change the car, I think the first big step we will see will be at Imola in that Grand Prix. Then I think some sidepods and a lot of changes will come.”
“They thought they fixed it over the winter, and they just haven’t. If anything, it’s further behind than it was last year.”
Former Mercedes driver and Sky Sports F1 driver Nico Rosberg also believes his former team is in a “difficult situation” but in the long run Hamilton will remain “super motivated”.
“It’s such a difficult situation for them. They’re so used to success [and are now] in such a prolonged period of difficulty and not progressing, actually struggling more,” Rosberg said.
“The talent there is still second to none. It’s a big challenge to decide now if there’s a problem and some people need to move. It’s really hard.”
“Totó [Wolff] he has to play a big part in keeping everyone motivated as everyone is realizing that they won’t be winning races anytime soon.
“This is where the drivers come into play as well. I think you can see Lewis on the radio always lifting the team up and pushing them. It’s been great to watch. George [Russell] surely does the same.
“From what I can see, Lewis is still super motivated. Russell is on par with him and really wants to beat him, so he’s a great driver.”
“At night in Bahrain, in the Mercedes engineering room, Lewis and George were in front of their computers, so they’re really pushing hard.
Formula 1 street racing is back! Watch the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1 this weekend. Sunday’s race starts at 5:00 p.m., with buildup starting at 3:30 p.m. Get Sky Sports
