Hamilton unsure how car will perform in race

2014 Chinese Grand Prix

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Lewis Hamilton admitted he has some doubts about his car’s race performance after taking pole position for the Chinese Grand Prix.

Hamilton was fastest by over half a second in a rain-hit qualifying session but had difficulty in dry conditions during practice yesterday.

“This weekend started off a little bit… I had some troubles obviously in P1 which really kind of put you on the back foot and P2 was a real disaster for me,” he told media after qualifying today.

“We made changes overnight in anticipation for a dry day and then it rained today so I don’t know what it’s going to be like tomorrow – could be good, could be bad.

“But I was able to pull a good lap out in the wet which is comforting. It’s always good. I love this track anyway, it’s good fun.”

Hamilton said part of his advantage came from the final sector where his Mercedes is especially strong on Shanghai’s kilometre-long straight.

“Our car is great, obviously we’ve got a long straight down the back so we obviously gain a bit down there, I’m sure, to some of the others.”

Hamilton admitted his pole position lap wasn’t clean which left him concerned his rivals might take advantage. “The lap could have been faster as well,” he said.

“I lost a little bit of time through turn ten. So at the end I was like ‘how were the times looking?’

“But I’m ecstatic. I’m really happy with the team, hopefully tomorrow we can have a good race.”

2014 Chinese Grand Prix

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Keith Collantine
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12 comments on “Hamilton unsure how car will perform in race”

  1. It really shows how quick is that Merc. Watching the lap you could easily see at least 2-3 corners when he overshoot the corner and yet 0.5 seconds up on Dan. I didn’t see other’s laps though so you’ll never know how did their go. I don’t want to take anything from Lewis though. He looked superiors to Nico today. The pressure is on and Rosberg has clearly struggling with it.

    1. Jamie Brooks
      19th April 2014, 9:34

      He doesn’t overshoot the corners he takes a wet racing line which means missing the apex and going around the outside. The only one where he doesn’t get a good exit is t10 as he says and he struggled with oversteer and wheelspin as a result.

    2. While Lewis himself admitted he could have gotten a quicker lap, I would put so much emphasis on him “overshooting” those corners. In the wet, it isn’t about hitting apexes. It’s about keeping the highest minimum speed that you can through the corner while getting the car rotated and using as little load as you can. You often hear of drivers taking the “karting line” in the wet- entering the corner flatter while on the brakes and driving a higher line while carrying the momentum of higher minimum speed.

      I think Lewis probably entered the first few corners a little hot, but the time penalty wouldn’t have been too severe in terms of the lap. (After all, he would have gained some of the time that he lost with a faster entry.)

  2. I think Lewis is playing little mind games with his competitors, as well as perhaps encouraging his side of the garage to up their game. Even if his car is close to perfect, he’ll complain that it needs to improve. He’s looking strong for the race.

  3. So HAM car set for a dry day and get big margin pole on unclean lap…
    Let’s hope RIC can give ROS good defense and HUL manage to stop one less pit to create some action tomorrow…

  4. Poor guy ! Such a big talent wasted on a posh car. LOL

  5. Wonder how much is he going to endure this situation…. ! Mercedes, give him a winning car… or retire from F1 ! Don’t waste HAM’s time and talent anymore !

    1. What on Earth are you talking about?? Have you been watching the races this season? Mercedes AMG has the fastest and most reliable car on the grid!

      As for the article, lol at you Lewis, yeah right! He is only saying this to spice things up a bit, it’s more than obvious that the Mercs will dominate again! I was hoping that at least Rosberg will take the fight to Lewis to make it more exciting, but now that he starts 4th, victory will surely be lost.

      1. Sorry, I was just sarcastic. But the situation is like a joke. I mean, if the drivers who race the best car on the grid by far, who dominated every RACE WEEKEND this season easily, complain and have insecurities… don’t know what to say anymore. People point the finger at Button for complaining all the time, but the poor guy drove a mediocre car for quite some time now. When you fight for positions like 5-10, it’s obvious there’s room for improvements on all fronts. So, personally, I don’t see Button as a guy that complains, but as the guy who tells us just how the situation is in reality.

        1. @Corrado, please can you tell me where Hamilton has complained in the article?

  6. He is unsure whether it will perform like a rocket or a jet fighter. I’d be worried, too.

  7. Unsure? It’s his to lose, according to him.

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