Lewis Hamilton, the driver with the most pole positions in Formula One history, is struggling to keep up with his teammate George Russell during qualifying sessions this season.
“I don’t get it,” said a confused Lewis Hamilton after yet another qualifying defeat to George Russell. Hamilton, once considered the greatest qualifying ace in Formula One, is now consistently outpaced by his young teammate. After Monaco, the qualifying score between them stands at 1:7 in Russell’s favor. “I don’t expect to beat George in qualifying again this year,” Hamilton admitted, visibly frustrated by his seventh-place finish. “I lose two-tenths automatically when we go into qualifying,” he explained, citing no noticeable changes in his driving style. “I really have no explanation for it at the moment; my laps are really good. I have no idea.”
Aside from a blow to his confidence, Hamilton faces the risk of ending a ten-year record of winning qualifying duels, something he hasn’t lost since being bested by former teammate Nico Rosberg in 2014. Adding to his woes, Hamilton mentioned that Mercedes brought a small update to Monaco, “But we only had one and George has it.” Russell’s car had a revised front wing, which Hamilton believes made a difference in fast sections. Some fans speculated that Mercedes might favor Russell, especially since Hamilton is rumored to be moving to Ferrari in 2025.
However, Motorsport.com reported that Hamilton voluntarily chose not to use the new front wing in Monaco. He wanted to stick with a more familiar setup and avoid running out of spare parts, a cautious approach given Monaco’s challenging circuit. This strategy, unfortunately, did not pay off for him.
Despite the setbacks, Hamilton praised his team’s efforts, saying, “It’s great that my team is bringing so many updates.” He remains optimistic that they are “a lot closer this weekend” and that the car “feels a lot better.” Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff echoed this sentiment, expressing that the team has “made a step forward.” Wolff did warn of potential setbacks, emphasizing the challenge of navigating Monaco’s tricky corners and varying temperatures: “Turn one was partly shaded and also at the top of the corner. The tyre is immediately three or four degrees colder than before; getting it right is a science in itself.”
George Russell, who qualified fifth, was more optimistic. “That was a good result today. It’s only two hundredths of a second to third place,” he said, highlighting the narrow margins. Thanking the team for their hard work in bringing new parts, Russell hopes this performance could be “some kind of turning point,” even if their car has never been exceptionally strong in Monaco. Hamilton, on the other hand, believes they still have a long way to go, but hopes they’ll get closer as the year progresses and with more upgrades.
In other paddock news, Jos Verstappen, father of current Formula One champion Max Verstappen, made headlines by appearing in the Red Bull garage in Monaco. Jos, a former F1 driver himself, competed in 107 Grand Prix races and is the second most successful Dutch driver, only behind his son.
Despite the challenges, both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell remain focused on improving their performance. While Hamilton struggles with qualifying, his optimism about the team’s updates and future improvements suggests he believes better results are on the horizon. Meanwhile, Russell’s solid performance and outlook provide a glimmer of hope for Mercedes as they navigate the complexities of the season.
