Lewis Hamilton has said that the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team did well to lock out the second row, the team having been beaten to the front row by Scuderia Ferrari.
The Briton had a difficult Saturday at the Hungaroring, struggling to match the pace of both the Ferraris and team-mate Valtteri Bottas in both Free Practice 3 and Qualifying.
Hamilton seemed plagued with car issues, struggling with what he said over team radio was unbalanced tyres. This saw him make a mistake on his first run in the third Qualifying segment, giving him just one chance to grab pole, and unfortunately for Hamilton, he missed this chance.
Having been sent out earlier than usual to set his final time, he struggled through his one lap and was caught in the dirty air of one of the Ferraris in the final sector, finishing the session in fourth, over four tenths of a second off pole.
“This hasn’t been the easiest weekend for us.” Hamilton said. “The car didn’t feel completely underneath me during practice but we made some changes into qualifying and the feeling started to improve.”
“We knew Ferrari would be quick after seeing their pace this morning, so considering that fact I think we did pretty well to lock out row two.”
With Qualifying behind him, Hamilton is now focusing on the race, though doesn’t seem hopeful of securing his sixth victory at the track.
“Looking to the race, maybe strategy or the tyres will come into play in a bigger way,” said Hamilton. “Ferrari seems to have the upper hand this weekend and this race is usually a procession on a circuit where it is hard to follow, so there aren’t many opportunities to gain positions. But we will be giving it everything we can.”
