Lewis Hamilton blamed his shock Q2 knockout on the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on poor workforce technique stemming again to a tire resolution made on Friday.
Hamilton was the quickest driver on the finish of Friday observe and anticipated to problem for pole on Saturday, however as an alternative he’ll line up twelfth after lacking out on a top-10 berth by 0.395s. The disappointing outcome adopted Ferrari selecting to ship Hamilton on a single set of soppy tires for 2 flying laps throughout Q2. Not solely was neither lap ok for Q3, however neither was sooner than Hamilton’s greatest time from Q1.
Teammate Charles Leclerc, in the meantime, was in a position to skate into the highest 10 after switching from a set of soppy tires to a set of the extra secure mediums for his closing run.
Hamilton stated he would have most well-liked the identical tire technique however that the workforce’s Friday observe program had left him with out sufficient units of mediums to drag it off.
“The workforce selected to run me on the medium in FP2,” he defined. “Charles was meant to run it within the second run of FP2 however then, as a result of everybody else wasn’t out on them, opted to maintain it.
“All the highest 10 principally had three mediums [except me]. We knew that the medium was faster – they stated by about 0.3s or one thing like that – and it felt nice. We should always have run it in Q2.”
Hamilton stated the workforce most well-liked to avoid wasting his two remaining units of medium tires for 2 runs in Q3.
“Effectively, you have to get to Q3 first,” Hamilton stated. “So in the end it was simply not the perfect execution. I’m positively dissatisfied.”
The Briton admitted, although, that he wasn’t as snug within the automotive on Saturday as he had been on Friday, pointing to team-led setup modifications main him astray.
“One of many issues that sort of factored into it was a little bit of a path the workforce have been pushing for us to go along with a number of the setup,” he stated. “That did not really feel nearly as good as FP2. However I felt like we made loads of progress, and we have been trying fairly robust.
“I truthfully thought I used to be going to be combating for the highest three immediately. I believed I would be capable to get a pole immediately. I’ve not felt that each one yr. So it is positively powerful to be in twelfth, however as I stated, I do not really feel that’s from my driving. It’s simply execution wanted to be higher.”
Teammate Leclerc, nevertheless, had exactly the other suggestions after his personal qualifying disappointment. The Monaco native, who had taken the earlier 4 pole positions in succession in Baku, crashed out of Q3 at Flip 15 with no time and can line up tenth.
Leclerc stated the in a single day modifications made forward of Saturday had improved the automotive, and he lamented switching from the mushy tire to the medium regardless of pre-qualifying expectations that it might be the higher performer.
“I modified the automotive quite a bit going into qualifying and I felt rather a lot higher in Q1, and all of the laps on the mushy felt a lot better,” he stated. “Then we went on medium, which we had stored as a result of we thought it was the perfect tire, and immediately with these temperatures it was simply not possible for me to change them on.
“Tough situations or not, I don’t assume that that is the rationale. I believe we have been simply missing loads of tempo on the medium. I used to be most likely 0.7s or 0.8s off earlier than the error [touching the wall at Turn 4 in Q2], and I used to be pushing like loopy.
“I sort of had the identical standpoint as Lewis – I believed I had a bonus going into quali with the mediums, after which I put them on and I sort of regretted pondering I had a bonus as a result of it was extraordinarily difficult.
“We’ll take a look at what did change on monitor to ensure that it to be so troublesome, however in case you take a look at Q2, first run, with my medium I almost didn’t make it by way of to Q2. I went lengthy fairly a couple of occasions. With the mushy I didn’t have fairly that feeling. One thing felt off there – we’ll look into it. It was troublesome.”
Regardless of his disappointment, Hamilton stated his purpose for the race remained unchanged.
“My tempo was first rate in FP2 – on race tempo we have been quickest – so I am actually hoping tomorrow that we have got first rate tempo,” he stated. “I’ve good straight-line pace. We should always hopefully be capable to combat vehicles. A lot can occur right here with security vehicles, all kinds of technique can actually come into play, so I am simply going to return into it as optimistic as potential.
“I am nonetheless going to try to get into the highest three. That is been my purpose all week. The place there’s a will, there’s a means.”
