Lewis Hamilton says he’s going to give his all during the Chinese Grand Prix after an engine problem left him doomed to start the race from the back of the grid.
After reporting a lack of power during his first run in Q1, Mercedes were unable to identify and fix the issue in time to allow the world champion to put in a timed lap, leaving him 22nd and last on the grid for tomorrow’s race.
“Of course it’s unfortunate, but these things are sent to try us,” said Hamilton after qualifying.
“The best thing to do is to try and learn from it. I’m sure the guys are just as gutted as I am, but we win and we lose together. It’s just a case of trying to figure out the issue and make sure it doesn’t happen again to either of our cars.”
Hamilton has recovered from a similar position before, most notably finishing third in the 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix after starting from the pitlane after another engine-related setback.
“You can overtake here,” Hamilton explained. “Overtaking might not be as simple as it was in that race though. I’ll give it everything I’ve got. It isn’t over until it’s over.”
PorscheF1 (@xtwl)
16th April 2016, 10:38
I think he’ll start on the SS, ditch them quickly to go soft/medium? Or maybe S/S/SS?
Sonics (@sonicslv)
16th April 2016, 10:45
@xtwl Seems SS is not preferred at all in this race, maybe he could go M/M/S or SS depends on how long the tires can last. Using mediums first has the advantage in case of SC situation. The biggest threat is wet race which will nullify any tires disadvantage of his main obstacles in top 10, and resetting the board.
Ivan Vinitskyy (@ivan-vinitskyy)
16th April 2016, 10:57
I hope M – S – S will last and he goes for it. First 10 laps will just be spent overtaking worse engined cars so he doesn’t need lap time, besides it might be beneficial if SC comes out.
Todfod (@todfod)
16th April 2016, 10:49
I would think he’d start on the soft, as he could easily overtake quite a bit of the lower mid field even on the softs, and when he catches the quicker cars that are on supersofts, it would be time for them to pit anyways, so he avoids battling them. He could put in a few quali style laps on the soft before pitting for SS. It should avoid him the traffic of pitting early and dealing with traffic again, plus the Mercedes has shown that they are incredibly quick on the softs as well, so it should be possible for him to execute that strategy
Yoseph
16th April 2016, 10:54
If it stays dry, perhaps soft-soft-supersoft should provide the best option.
Ivan Vinitskyy (@ivan-vinitskyy)
16th April 2016, 11:01
Given he’s last, should he not also take a new engine in case the one he has now has reoccurring problem?
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
16th April 2016, 11:43
New engine for sure.. Pop on medium tire and go long first stint, then hit up soft, soft late in the race.
Tata
16th April 2016, 11:12
I don’t see him getting to the front given how difficult it is to overtake some of the cars due to dirty air.
Mark G (@)
16th April 2016, 11:45
Given the Ferraris look competitive here I think the absolute best Hamilton could hope for is 4th unless the SS ends up dropping Ferrari into trouble after the first stop.
Does Hamilton have new mediums for the race? If so S-M-S might be a decent strategy. The Merc doesn’t look particularly strong on the SS and if he needs to push and overtake at the end of the race they’d just fall apart.
I think the key to a strong race will be avoiding battles with cars on fresh tyres and pushing hard in clear air.
Robbie (@robbie)
16th April 2016, 13:32
The sad thing is he and all the drivers giving it all they’ve got is not unusual, as ‘all they’ve got’ will be squelched by all the tires will allow them.
Euro Brun (@eurobrun)
16th April 2016, 13:36
I reckon he may take a pitlane start on the mediums. Avoid any 1st corner sillyness then do a long 1st stint.
Psychotext (@textuality)
16th April 2016, 16:24
Pretty much guaranteed 4th or better IMHO. He’ll pass most of the field when they pit and he doesn’t.
Wesley (@)
16th April 2016, 20:14
Bernie must have tinkered with Lewis’ engine. He’s working to get his reverse grid for a big show one way or another.