Two accidents and a huge disappointment in Q3 for Mercedes

In Austria, Mercedes still expected to be behind Red Bull et Ferrari. From the start of qualifying, the Silver Arrows surprised. With regularly the best times in sectors 1, Lewis Hamilton managed to slip into the top 5 in Q1 and even the top 3 in Q2. So obviously, fans of the German team began to plan ahead. Is the seven-time world champion capable of reaching the front row?

But during Q3, the euphoria was short-lived. The Briton was attacking to get the most out of his W13 before he crossed his limit at turn 7. After losing the rear of his car, he came to end his trajectory in the barriers. First red flag of the session and above all a huge disappointment for Lewis Hamilton. “ I'm doing well. It was a big shock, but I'm fine », reassures the Mercedes driver after qualifying.

🗨️ “I’m so sorry I damaged the car”

Big mistake from Lewis Hamilton in Q3, he ends up in the gravel 🫤

The replay 🔽 | #AustrianGP pic.twitter.com/F3z4nyTwsn

— CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) July 8, 2022

« I'm incredibly disappointed in myself and so sorry for the team. Everyone worked really hard to put this car together, and I never like to damage it, bring it back damaged. And we were fighting for a place in the top 3, I think. I don't have an answer to that. I simply lost the rear in turn 7, and that's it “, says Lewis Hamilton.

Then the eyes of Mercedes fans turned to George Russell. A little further back than his teammate, the Briton could still get a second row on the grid for the sprint race. But in the same circumstances as Lewis Hamilton, the 24-year-old driver also lost the rear of his car, this time at turn 10.

The 2 Mercedes on the carpet! 🚩

A few minutes after Lewis Hamilton, it was George Russell who ended up in the tire wall! 😱

The replay ⬇️ | #AustrianGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/DnvjMi5NvX

— CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) July 8, 2022

Obviously disappointed with his performance, George Russell was especially worried about his race tomorrow. “ We will examine the damage caused by my accident », Announces the Briton. If Mercedes had the cards in hand to achieve a strong performance in qualifying, two errors in quick succession tarnished the day.

Many positive signs for Mercedes in Austria

However, the weekend is still far from over with two races still on the program. And if the Silver Arrows did not shine in the right way on Friday, in the sprint race, Mercedes could move forward. “ I'm optimistic, that's for sure, says the seven-time world champion. I'm obviously optimistic when we see our level of performance, we didn't expect to be as close as that today. So it’s a huge positive for the team. But I'm really quite far behind, so I don't know what can be done from there, but there's a sprint race too, so I hope tomorrow I can make up for lost time. »

An optimist shared by George Russell. “ I think these are positive signs and we know we have brought things to the car. We know that Ferrari and Red Bull probably pushed the limits with the floors, a little more than the interpretation of the rules and probably all those things work in our favor. "

And if Mercedes has taken a step forward in terms of performance, the progress could be even more visible in racing. “ I think we usually have better race pace than we have qualifying pace. So we are definitely in the race. As a team, this is probably our best qualifier of the year in terms of pace, but probably our worst in terms of results “, explains the young British pilot. At 16:30 p.m. in addition to picking up valuable championship points, the two Britons will try to move up the grid from 9th place for Lewis Hamilton and 4th for George Russell to put themselves in the best position on Sunday.

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