Lewis Hamilton experienced ups and downs on Saturday at the Chinese Formula 1 GP. The driver took second place in the Sprint race, but surprised by being eliminated in Q1 of the qualifying session, which was held in the afternoon of the same Saturday. Mercedes technical director James Allison analyzed Hamilton’s early elimination in the qualifying session.
Hamilton completed just two timed laps in Q1 and did not qualify among the 15 fastest. While George Russell reserved enough fuel for two quick attempts, the seven-time champion only had enough fuel for one lap. “Well, I don’t have to guess about that because Lewis was very clear afterwards, he said he really wished he had taken the same approach as George,” Allison said.
The new parc fermé rules allow adjustments to the cars between the Sprint race and the qualifying session. That’s what Hamilton did, needing to adapt to the W15’s reactions with the modifications.
“He noticed that the changes made the car more likely to oversteer, making it easier for the wheels to lock when braking. And that was precisely what caused difficulties for him”, stated the technical director. “I think we all saw what happened on the second attempt, which was only his second timed lap. He went a little off the line when braking for the final hairpin of the main straight, he lost time and it cost him 0.7 seconds.”
Without the error, Hamilton would have reached Q2 with ease. “He admits it was his mistake. I think, on our part, we could have encouraged him more strongly to follow a program more similar to George’s”, acknowledged Allison, who continued: “It was our mistake, and honestly, we should build a car that wasn’t as unstable like the current one, which is leading pilots to make unusual mistakes. We have two of the best drivers in the world, and locking the wheels at the exit of a straight is not acceptable”, he concluded.
In the end, Hamilton only achieved P9 in Sunday’s race, adding two points to the championship. Russell crossed the finish line in P6 at the Shanghai International Circuit.
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