Lewis Hamilton believed he was on course to secure pole position for the United States Grand Prix sprint race if it weren’t for the presence of yellow flags.
Lewis Hamilton lamented the timing of yellow flags, which he believed prevented him from securing pole position for the sprint race at the F1 United States Grand Prix.
Both Mercedes drivers left the track early in the third part of qualifying to complete their only laps, with Hamilton posting a quicker time than teammate George Russell.
However, when Williams’ driver Franco Colapinto spun in front of Hamilton at Turn 12, the seven-time world champion had to reduce speed due to short yellow flags. He finished in seventh place while others got better.
Simply had bad luck with the yellow flag, and that’s how it goes. “I was 0.4 seconds ahead,” Hamilton said.
Russell qualified in second place, falling short of pole position by a mere 0.12 seconds.
“He described how the team has taken a positive step with the car, showing that the upgrade has been successful.
I truly appreciate all the effort put in by my colleagues at the factory during this challenging period to ensure the upgrade is completed and everyone is able to work effectively. This is not the end of the day. “We have been given another opportunity.”
Hamilton also commended modifications made by his Mercedes team to his car following a high-speed spin in the sole practice session.
He explained that we made significant modifications to the car, which is always a risk because we are uncertain if the changes will be successful.
“You expect them to fulfill the same goal you have in mind and as soon as I exited the car, the difference was extreme.
Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes’ trackside engineering director, was also certain that Hamilton was on track to secure pole position.
“We can draw many positives from the situation, however, at the end of the day, we feel slightly frustrated,” he stated. Lewis was set to complete a lap that would have been sufficient for first place.
“We chose to arrive early to prevent any disruptions from slower drivers on the crowded track near the end of the session.”