Lewis Hamilton lays out plan of attack with ‘can’t beat them’ verdict
Lewis Hamilton insists all is well between himself and Mercedes
Accepting his W15 cannot beat McLaren or Red Bull on raw speed in the heat, Lewis Hamilton hopes to “pounce” on their mistakes at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Hamilton will line up fifth on the Hungaroring grid as the Briton looks to extend Mercedes’ race-winning run to three.
Lewis Hamilton: Keep up with them and pounce if they make mistakes
But it won’t be easy.
Off the pace in the sweltering heat on Friday, Hamilton lamented that the car felt “just as bad as it normally does when it’s hot” despite recent upgrades.
As the track conditions improved, at least where Mercedes are concerned, on Saturday when it was cooler and even wet in qualifying, Hamilton made it through to Q3 where he qualified fifth fastest.
It was however touch-and-go as while he was second fastest in the wet in Q1, the Briton only just snuck through into Q3 by 0.01s when the track dried out and the temperatures rose.
“It started well. When qualifying started, it was a bit colder, and it was still a bit wet,” he told Viaplay. “Those are clearly good conditions for me personally.
“The car behaved well, but as it got drier and warmer, we fell out of the right window.”
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Hamilton will line up fifth on the grid having finished qualifying six-tenths down on pole-sitter Lando Norris. The Briton led a McLaren front row lock-out with Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz making up the second row of the grid.
But while Mercedes have had Ferrari’s measure in recent races, Hamilton concedes beating the McLarens and Verstappen won’t be easy, he’ll need to capitalise on any mistakes they make.
“I’m still looking forward to the race. It’s going to be a very tough race,” he said.
“Our long run was OK, but not very fast. I wouldn’t say we were as fast as the McLaren or the Red Bull. On raw speed, we can’t beat them.
“If I can somehow keep up with them, I will. It’s also about track position, so hopefully I can keep up with them and pounce if they make mistakes.”
Hamilton lines up on the grid sitting P8 in the Drivers’ Championship where he is a point down on his Mercedes team-mate George Russell, who will start P17.
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