Yellow Flags Dash Hamilton’s Hopes for Pole Position at US Grand Prix Sprint

Lewis Hamilton expresses frustration over a yellow flag, believing he had secured pole position.

Hamilton was certain that without the interference of yellow flags, he would have achieved pole position for the United States Grand Prix sprint race.

Lewis Hamilton expressed disappointment over the yellow flags, which he believed prevented him from securing the top spot for the sprint race at the F1 United States Grand Prix.

The Mercedes drivers headed out early during the final segment of qualifying, known as SQ3, to make their single attempts. Lewis Hamilton was on a significantly quicker lap compared to his teammate George Russell.

Sign up for our F1 Newsletter to receive the newest updates, exclusive content, interviews, and special offers from the world of Formula 1, delivered straight to your email.

For additional details, please refer to our Privacy Policy

When Franco Colapinto, driving for Williams, spun out at Turn 12 in front of Hamilton, the seven-time world champion had to reduce his speed due to temporary yellow flags. As a result, he finished in seventh place while other competitors managed to improve their positions.

Hamilton remarked, "I was ahead by four-tenths, but the yellow flag was just bad luck, and that's how things go sometimes."

Russell secured the second position in the qualifiers, falling short of the pole position by only 0.12 seconds.

Although Hamilton was disappointed about not securing pole position, he remained optimistic due to the advancements Mercedes achieved with their new upgrade package, which was introduced in Austin.

He stated, "The positive aspect is that the team has improved the car; the recent upgrade has evidently been effective."

"I deeply appreciate the immense effort put in by the team at the factory during this challenging period. It has been a difficult journey for everyone involved to ensure the upgrades are functioning correctly. However, this is not the conclusion, as we have another opportunity ahead."

Hamilton commended the adjustments his Mercedes team implemented on his vehicle following a high-speed spin during the sole practice session.

He mentioned that they performed admirably in modifying the car, acknowledging that such adjustments are always somewhat risky since there's no certainty about their effectiveness.

"You wish they would achieve the goals you have for them, and the moment I stepped out of the car, it felt completely different."

Mercedes' trackside engineering chief, Andrew Shovlin, was confident that Hamilton was set to secure pole position.

"There are plenty of good things to take away, yet we can't help but feel a bit disappointed," he mentioned. "Lewis was on track to complete a lap that would have easily secured the top position."

"We chose to go out earlier to steer clear of yellow flags on a crowded track towards the session's conclusion."

Discover More

Sign Up for Our F1 Newsletter

Receive the newest updates, special content, interviews, and offers from the world of F1 straight to your email.

For additional details, please refer to our Privacy Policy

Current Updates

Additional Stories

Website Navigation

Crash.Net

©1999-2024 Crash Media Group

It is prohibited to reproduce text, images, or illustrations, either wholly or in part, in any manner.