Lewis Hamilton’s Qualifying Struggles: A Scare Turned Motivation in Singapore Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton felt "frightened" by his struggles during qualifying

"He was somewhat alarmed by not fully grasping the situation, I believe"

It has been alleged that Lewis Hamilton was "scared" by his struggles during qualifying.

Throughout much of this season, Hamilton has found himself at a disadvantage on Saturdays when compared to his Mercedes teammate, George Russell.

In Singapore, Hamilton managed to qualify ahead of Russell, marking only the fifth occasion this year that he has done so, securing the third position on the starting grid.

"Tom Clarkson revealed on the F1 Nation podcast that he has faced challenges and has been transparent about his difficulties in adapting to the current generation of cars."

Lawrence Barretto, after speaking to Hamilton following the qualifying round, commented, "He provided the most extensive responses we've seen from him in quite a while!"

"He aimed to clarify the reasons behind its excellence, the manner in which they made a comeback, and to acknowledge the team's efforts."

He's been harshly critical of his own performance during the qualifying rounds. The uncertainty, I believe, unsettled him somewhat, especially not knowing why he was struggling with what has traditionally been his forte: excelling in qualifiers and positioning himself advantageously.

He mentioned feeling a bond with the car, which was intriguing. He was also excited about the race. This led me to believe that, although he didn't express it openly, he believed he could advance the competition.

"To subsequently end up retreating or failing to hold back Ferrari would have been difficult to accept."

Hamilton's performance in the Singapore Grand Prix suffered significantly because he chose to begin the race on soft tyres, unlike his competitors who opted for medium tyres.

Mercedes has since acknowledged that their decision, which Hamilton voiced his dissatisfaction with over the team radio during the race, was a mistake.

Clarkson remarked, "Upon witnessing the removal of the tyre warmers… he opted for soft tyres!"

"He was the sole competitor among the top 10 to opt for the soft tyre. It baffled me."

Barretto responded, "Lewis had faith in his capability to capitalize on an excellent starting position. For the last 15 Singapore Grand Prix races, he's consistently been among the top five."

Australian Channel 10 reporter Sam Power posited, "He found himself on the cleaner part of the track, equipped with the soft tyre, while Max Verstappen was positioned on the less clean side. Does this increase your odds? Typically, the position on the track is more crucial in this context."

Clarkson noted, “The distance to the first turn is just 170 meters! It's quite a brief stretch.

Had he chosen the medium tires, Charles Leclerc wouldn't have surpassed him.

"Is it a win-or-lose situation? Whether he ends up in fifth or sixth place doesn't matter to him; his focus is solely on securing a spot on the podium."

Hamilton ended up in sixth place, while Russell came in fourth, missing out on capitalizing on his strong qualifying performance.

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