'I should have been on pole': Hamilton disappointed after missing golden opportunity in Las Vegas

Lewis Hamilton had his best chance of pole position in 2024. The record holder for the year in Formula 1 – who has been deprived of pole position since the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, almost a year and a half ago – had everything it took to end this drought. The pace, the car, the favourable conditions. Second in Q1, fastest time in Q2, the Briton was logically the favourite to clinch a 105th pole position in Formula 1… alas, at the moment that counted, Q3, everything went wrong for the seven-time world champion.

In his first attempt, the Englishman went wide at Turn 14, forced to go through the escape route to avoid the wall. Under pressure in his last – and therefore only – attempt at Q3, Lewis Hamilton lost everything at the second turn, with the rear of his Mercedes who crashed in this long straight at high speed. Result: no timed lap and a very sad 10th place, far from the expectations and hopes founded after Free Practice. At the same time, his teammate George Russell took pole position…

For Hamilton, " victory is no longer on the agenda" in Las Vegas

"Things didn't work out when they were supposed to. I tried, but it didn't work out, Lewis Hamilton admits, disappointed to have missed a golden opportunity in Las Vegas. I should have been on pole… But at least I have pace, which is a good thing this weekend, that's the positive point to remember." For the Briton, 10th place on the grid buries any hope of victory on Saturday evening. "I think my race is kind of over already. It's clear that victory is no longer on the agenda, but George did a good job."

In fairly cool weather conditions, the Mercedes were the most comfortable single-seaters in Sin City. Suddenly in difficulty in Q3, Lewis Hamilton did not explain why his W15 had become so unstable. Moreover, the German team has not yet found the real reason. "He was the fastest in Q2, the car was good, we have to analyse what happened", said Toto wolff at the end of qualifying. The Briton will however be able to rely on an interesting race pace displayed during Free Practice by the Mercedes to move up the hierarchy, with supposedly slower single-seaters ahead of him such as the Haas de Nico Hulkenberg, the Racing Bulls of Yuki tsunoda (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) and the Alpine de Pierre Gasly.

ALSO READ > George Russell: "It's incredible to be back in pole position"