Hamilton: “This weekend is a nightmare on the track”

Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) crushes the exercise of qualifications so much that the slightest blows of bamboo take on extreme proportions. This is the impression given his sixth place at the Istanbul tests (Türkiye) this Saturday, November 14.

The Briton started the weekend with openly criticize the state of Turkish asphalt after free practice on Friday. The next day, the climatic elements were not in his favor. The pole record holder has never been able to worry the Red Bull and even less the Racing Point.

His best performance even positioned him behind the Renault de Daniel Ricciardo ! Obviously, the champion was grumpy. “There was very little grip. They ruined this track with this new tarmac. The feeling is terrible. Everyone was struggling but some did better than others, better than us anyway.

I tried to do my best. I'm satisfied with my performance, I didn't spin, I didn't make any mistakes. I did what I could with what I had. »

Present in F1 since 2007, Lewis Hamilton had never faced such a lack of grip, according to him. “This weekend is a nightmare on track because the grip is very weak. But everyone is in the same boat. I have never felt anything like this in my career. Given the level of support we have, this is quite a challenge. We are limited by the lack of grip and the low temperatures. »

This poor performance is surprising when you know the n°44's taste for wet tracks. His masterful pole in Styria recalled him this summer. “Generally, I like to drive on a wet track but here, given the level of grip, the tires don't work and we drive on cold tires all the time.

It will also be slippery if the route is dry. This was one of the least pleasant qualifying sessions, if not the least pleasant. The track is great but the grip is so low that we can't get the tires to heat up and we can't drive at the speeds we like. »