Hamilton loses pole record, blames 'track specific' issues with W13

Lewis Hamilton blamed "track specific" issues with the W13 for the reason why he couldn't challenge for pole and maintain his career record in qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The seven-time World Champion had achieved a pole in every season he's participated in prior to the session, with this one being the last opportunity of 2022 to maintain that record.

But after qualifying in fifth – nearly seven tenths off the pace – Hamilton blamed the issues with the W13, including porpoising, for why the team are so far off despite leading the way in practice on Friday.

"[I] definitely wasn't expecting to see such a big gap, but we're losing six tenths on the straights," Hamilton told media, including TheFOXposts.Com.

"It's kind of reminiscent of some of the previous races before Austin, [and the] bouncing is back, which is costing us time."

Hamilton also noted the issues they've had with their brakes, which has plagued them throughout the season.

Viewed by others:

Verstappen Red Bull
Max Verstappen Verstappen reveals 'brief scare' on the way to Abu Dhabi pole
Leclerc Abu Dhabi
Charles Leclerc Leclerc achieved qualifying maximum despite Q3 mistakes

Moment that cost Hamilton P4 on the grid

Hamilton had a moment during his final qualifying attempt at Turn 14, causing him to make a correction and lose more time.

"I lost like two and a half tenths," he told Viaplay. "So maybe one place."

The other statistic that Hamilton will be vying to keep will be his win record, which states that he has won at least one race in every season that he has entered.

Hamilton currently sits fifth in the Drivers' Championship, meaning if he doesn't hold on to his the win record, it would be one of the worst seasons the Briton has had in his career on record.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Red Bull urged to 'go hard' to sign Norris by former F1 driver

Image
Red Bull should "go hard" in trying to land the services of Lando Norris in 2025, according to former F1 driver Karun Chandhok . Norris enjoyed a stellar season in 2022, scooping the only podium outside Red Bull, Ferrari or Mercedes with a third place at Imola, as well as going on to secure a strong seventh in the Drivers' standings. The Briton is locked into a long-term deal with McLaren – set to expire at the end of 2025 – and will step into the team leader role at Woking in 2023, with a new teammate in the form of rookie Oscar Piastri. Norris has been touted as a replacement for Lewis Hamilton when he retires from F1 at Mercedes, while Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko is a long-time admirer of Norris, having tried to get him into a Toro Rosso seat back in 2018. Viewed by others: ...
Read more

Aston Martin dismiss concerns over impact of break in calendar

Image
Aston Martin boss Mike Krack has dismissed any concerns over the recent four-week gap in the F1 calendar having an impact on the team's momentum. The squad had a strong start to the 2023 season, with Fernando Alonso claiming three consecutive podium results in the opening races. Lance Stroll, meanwhile, bounced back from a pre-season cycling accident to finish in the points in Bahrain and Australia, putting the team in P2 of the Constructors' Championship. Following the cancellation of the Chinese Grand Prix, a break in the schedule has taken place ahead of the upcoming race in Azerbaijan, but Krack is not worried about the impact of this. Calendar break does not change Aston Martin plans When asked if the four-week gap in the calendar had come at a bad time following Aston Martin 's run of success, Krack told media, including TheFOXposts.Com : "Yeah, but it's the same for everybody. "It does not really change anything [in] our ...
Read more

Hamilton leads Russell to top Abu Dhabi FP1 as rookies return to action

Image
Lewis Hamilton set the pace during Free Practice 1 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in a session featuring several rookie drivers. Hamilton hit the top of the timesheets with a lap of 1:26.633 on the Soft tyre, while Mercedes teammate George Russell was two tenths of a second back in P2. Charles Leclerc claimed third, ahead of Sergio Perez in fourth. Liam Lawson – at the wheel of Max Verstappen's Red Bull – took P5, and Sebastian Vettel rounded out the top six in his final F1 weekend ahead of retirement. Verstappen and Carlos Sainz were amongst the drivers sitting out the session, with many teams taking their final opportunity of the season to run a young driver in FP1. Result Free practice 1 - Abu Dhabi Pos. Driver Team Time ...
Read more