Lewis Hamilton had little praise for his F1 Las Vegas GP race, with the seven-time World Champion crossing the line in P10, to then be promoted to P8 following the double McLaren disqualification.
The weekend proved challenging from the outset. On Friday, Hamilton endured a difficult qualifying session and ended up at the very back of the field, marking the first time in his F1 career he has been slowest on outright pace. Despite the wet conditions, which drivers had never previously encountered at the F1 Las Vegas circuit, Hamilton couldn’t progress beyond Q1.
“Zero” satisfaction from the Grand Prix
While Hamilton made progress during the race, he finished P10 at the chequered flag, later promoted to P8 following the disqualifications of McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Speaking in his post-race session in the written media area, the Briton delivered answers of few words, but spoke volumes of the emotions he was feeling.
Hamilton gained six places on the opening lap, moving from P19 to P13 after the Turn 1 contact between Gabriel Bortoleto and Lance Stroll, but even that didn’t impress him.
“It was a pretty straightforward first lap. I just stayed out of trouble.”
He didn’t hide his disappointment with the result or the performance, stating he felt “zero” satisfaction from climbing through the field.
“The most meaningless 10 places, that doesn’t mean anything. It’s still a bad weekend.
When asked if anything positive could be taken from the race, the seven-time World Champion responded with a straight forward “no.”
Light contact with Albon
In the early stages of the F1 Las Vegas GP race, Hamilton ran slightly wide at Turn 12, which allowed Alex Albon to close in with DRS. However, when the Williams driver, who also was running with no radio communications, attempted to take advantage, he clipped the rear of Hamilton’s Ferrari. Hamilton later explained he wasn’t aware of the contact in the moment, only noticing the shift in balance afterward.
“At the moment I’m not reflecting on it. It’s obviously the same as the last one. I’m not quite repeating what I said the last time because it’s exactly the same.”
“I didn’t even know it happened. I just noticed the balance shift afterwards. I didn’t even know we touched.”
Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship
Ferrari remain locked in a tense battle with Red Bull and Mercedes for second place in the Constructors’ Championship, following McLaren’s early confirmation as champions at the Singapore Grand Prix. With points between the chasing pack still tight heading into the final rounds, every result now holds increased significance.
Lewis Hamilton admitted he was unaware of the exact standings at the time, yet did not sound optimistic about Mercedes’ chances based on his performance so far.
“I don’t even know how many points we have, but at this rate with my performance, we don’t.”
Despite the challenge ahead, Hamilton reflected positively on the F1 Las Vegas GP weekend. Speaking openly, he expressed his appreciation for the atmosphere and support surrounding the event.
“I love coming to Vegas. I think it’s a really great city and we always get a great welcome here. I think this is the biggest crowd we’ve seen, even though it’s quite cold.”
However, Hamilton did not hide his ongoing frustration with form and consistency across the year, adding that at this point, he feels there is no solution to fix his performance issues.
“I’ve had 22 bad weekends, so I anticipate there will be more of the same.
“I think at this point, no. I’ve tried everything and it’s not working.
“I don’t know yet [regarding the winter to reset]. I don’t know yet. Yeah, we’ll figure something out.”
