The wet weather during the Belgian Grand Prix’s qualifying session threw a wrench into Lewis Hamilton’s plans for a front-row start.
Despite setting the fourth fastest time in Q3, Hamilton believes he could have done better if not for a tire offset issue. “For sure I definitely can’t complain,” he said. “I think, when I looked at my theoretical time, I should have been second. But I think if I had had another tire at the end, I think I could have [been].”
The rain was supposed to be an opportunity for Hamilton and his Mercedes team. Their car, the W15, didn’t perform well in the dry runs on Friday at Spa-Francorchamps. Hamilton was hoping the wet conditions would level the playing field, but things didn’t go as planned.
An extra run in Q1 was aborted, leaving Hamilton with fewer new tires for the rest of the session. “That then kind of offsets you through the whole session because I only had one new set at the end,” he explained. Running on worn tires late in the session cost him as his rivals, with fresh rubber, surged ahead.
Toto Wolff, Mercedes team boss, felt that with a different strategy, pole position was possible. “We were out early and chose the conservative route. We could probably have started from pole position if we had done what Leclerc did, namely gambled on it being dry at the end, which worked out for him,” Wolff said.
With a third-place start due to Max Verstappen’s penalty, Hamilton isn’t too optimistic. He admitted, “I think there’s a slight chance we could maybe fight for a podium, but I think it will be really tough.” With fast cars from McLaren, Red Bull, and Ferrari around him, it’s going to be a challenging race.
Hamilton’s main concern is holding off the competition. “We have McLarens behind us, a Red Bull ahead, and another quick Red Bull that’s going to come through. It’s going to be tough. I think the Ferrari is also just there with us in performance,” he concluded.
Hamilton’s qualifying woes might cast a shadow over his performance in the Belgian GP, but his determination is unwavering. The race promises to be a nail-biter as he navigates through stiff competition.
