F1
Hamilton Reflects on Missed Pole Opportunity at Rainy Belgian GP: ‘A Fresh Set of Intermediates Could Have Made the Difference
Why Lewis Hamilton Believes He 'Could Have Secured Pole Position' in Belgian GP Qualifying
Lewis Hamilton reflected on a lost chance to claim the top spot during the qualifying session at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton is convinced that he could have secured the pole position at the Belgian Grand Prix if he had an additional set of intermediate tires.
The seven-time world champion is set to begin the race in third place, trailing his future Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc and Red Bull driver Sergio Perez. He will be positioned in front of the McLaren pair, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Reigning world champion Max Verstappen has been the standout performer this weekend, setting the fastest time in a rain-soaked qualifying session at Spa-Francorchamps. However, the Red Bull driver is set to start from 11th place on the grid due to a 10-place penalty for surpassing his power unit limit.
Hamilton was just under one-tenth of a second slower than Leclerc and believes he could have surpassed the Monegasque's time if he had a new set of intermediate tires during the final session of qualifying.
"I've always felt at ease in these circumstances," Hamilton remarked following the qualifying session.
"It’s possible we could have placed higher if we had perfect timing in the final stint, but we almost didn’t make it past Q1. It wasn’t due to our actual speed, but rather because they called me in. Additionally, at the end, we only had one set of tires left, whereas the three drivers ahead of us had an extra set."
Hamilton remarked, “Based on my theoretical time, I should have been in second place. However, I believe that if I had a fresh set of tires at the end, I might have secured the pole position, but those are just hypotheticals.”
When questioned about whether there was a sense of relief over Mercedes' speed improving after his car's floor was modified overnight, Hamilton responded: "It's not about relief; the real relief for me is that it's raining."
"Yesterday, we were one second behind, so even if we improved by seven-tenths today, we still wouldn't have been in contention for the top three positions."
The 39-year-old British driver sought to temper expectations regarding Mercedes' potential to compete for a podium finish, acknowledging that it will be "challenging" to stay ahead of the faster McLarens and Verstappen's Red Bull.
He mentioned that while there is a small possibility they might contend for a podium finish, it will be challenging.
"We've got the McLarens trailing us, a fast Red Bull in front, another speedy Red Bull making its way up, and the Ferrari is matching our performance levels."
"I believe the other competitors had a solid race pace. I'm optimistic that the adjustments we made last night will improve the car's performance. Ultimately, it will be my driving tomorrow that determines whether we succeed or fall behind."
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