Lewis Hamilton faced one of his toughest races of the season at the Qatar GP, finishing outside the top spots after a challenging day marked by multiple issues.
The seven-time world champion remained candid about his struggles and his mindset moving forward.
Fighting on
Hamilton had been a running a distant P8 in the first part of the Qatar GP as Mercedes struggled for race pace, even falling away from Sergio Pérez. A puncture on lap 34 compounded things.
He also picked up a 5-second penalty for a false start, as well as a drive-through later in the race for speeding in the pits under Safety Car conditions. It led to him calling for the team to retire the car.
“I mean, it could have been worse, but I finished and it’s over.
“Ultimately that was me at the start, and then the puncture was really unfortunate, and the safety for the pit lane, that was me as well, so… Not the best, but I’ll get back up tomorrow and give it another shot.”
How difficult the car was to drive
The seven-time World Champion revealed the balance issues he was facing, and talked about the puncture.
“Well, the under balance was literally just, we didn’t get the [front] wing set in the right position, and this happened many times.
“Just basically not having enough front wing in the car, and the car just wouldn’t turn, so I was just understeering massively for a long period of time, and I think that’s honestly, for me, felt like that’s what led to the tyre failing, but maybe it was debris. I didn’t see any debris, pretty much, but I have no idea.”
His final race at Mercedes
When asked about his thoughts heading into the final race of the season, Hamilton tempered expectations but committed to giving his best effort.
“I mean, I don’t think we’re going to end up on a high,” he explained.
“It’ll end, and I think what’s important is how we turn up, we give it our best shot, and I don’t anticipate a particularly much better weekend than what we’ve had in the past weekends.
“Naturally I’ll try, but going with in low hopes, and when we come out with a better result, then it doesn’t really make a big difference either way.
“These last races, for me, don’t have an impact on everything.”
2024 season full of ups and downs
Hamilton described the 2024 season as a year of emotional highs and lows, emphasising his gratitude for the experiences and his resilience in facing challenges.
“I mean, there’s been loads of them, of course, so it’s been a rollercoaster of a variety of emotions, but I’m just grateful I’m still standing on, I’m still OK.
“I’ve had great races in my life, and I’ve had bad races, too. Not too many bad ones.”
Though the Qatar GP was one of the low points of his season, Hamilton’s commitment to his team shone through, and he remains focused on finishing strong and using the challenges of this year as fuel for future success.
