Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Red Bull Ring, 2021

Jumping the queue in qualifying was a mistake, Hamilton admits

2021 Styrian Grand Prix

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Lewis Hamilton admitted his decision to overtake a series of rivals before beginning his final lap in qualifying spoiled his final attempt to take pole position.

The Mercedes driver qualified third for tomorrow’s Styrian Grand Prix, but will start second after his team mate Valtteri Bottas’ takes a three-place grid penalty.

Hamilton and Bottas left the pits for their final runs behind Max Verstappen and six other drivers. But Verstappen allowed both past, running behind Hamilton and potentially able to benefit from his slipstream when they began their final qualifying runs.

Bottas overtook several drivers ahead of them as the Mercedes pair completed their out-lap. Hamilton passed Fernando Alonso, Pierre Gasly and Bottas, taking up position behind Charles Leclerc, as they approached the end of the lap. However, he admitted going off-line to do so meant picking up dirt on his tyres and “definitely” cost him time on his final lap.

“I knew that everyone was just going so slow and I was worried [about] not having the tyres up to temperature, but I went on all the dirty lines, so just picking up all the dirt on the tyres and then [had a] poor exit out of the last corner.

“So already by turn one [I was] a tenth down and then already by turn three two tenths down. So, no hope in that respect.”

Hamilton went off at the end of his lap and fell to third in the final classification having failed to improve his time.

He used a different strategy to his rivals in Q3, saving enough sets of soft tyres to have three runs in quick succession.

“I was told that I had three tyres and I could use them all so I was like yeah, I’ll throw everything at it, give it three shots in the hope to close the gap, that two tenths to Max.

“But as I said, the last one was not great when there’s all these people out there and you’re not able to get the temperature in the tyres. But as I said we did everything we could.”

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2021 Styrian Grand Prix

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    33 comments on “Jumping the queue in qualifying was a mistake, Hamilton admits”

    1. I thought so too Lewis the tyre whisperer good luck tommorow and play the long game or come in early and commit to 2 stops. Nice to admit when you are wrong hopefully a great race tommorow. I think Max Lewis Bottas be the podium tommorow.

    2. At least Lewis and Mercedes now know it. You never know if you never try.

    3. JohnnyRye (@)
      26th June 2021, 18:13

      So the qualy gentleman’s is gone now?

      1. The guys were slow, he made the passes to go first, then waited for his turn. He didn’t get ahead right on the start/finish line completely wrecking somebody’s lap, like Mazepin. That’s what the so called gentleman’s agreement is about.

        1. In Baku he did it right before the last corner which is definitely against the gentleman’s agreement. Today he did it right before the second to last corner, then just parked it before going. That was definitely not very gentleman-ly either. All of those drivers were already queueing up in order to get a lap started and jumping the queue at that point is EXACTLY what the agreement is about.
          Lewis just doesn’t give a damn about the agreement. He does as he pleases. Which is fine, I guess, but please don’t act as if somehow he is complying to it when he clearly is not.

          1. No. That’s not how it works. If someone is too slow then the others are stuck behind and may even not be able to open a lap? lol. just no, mate. By the way, Verstappen did the same dozens of times last year, go take a look. Nobody said a thing.

            Every car needs its own preparation to open a proper lap. It doesn’t mean you have to wait for the slowest one to do his procedure and never did.

            1. That is exactly how it works. Drivers take position during the lap and at the final few corners the queue is there and the gentleman’s agreement is to not break the queue anymore.

              If you’ve left it too late then that is on you. And indeed in that case you’ll have to jump the queue. And guess what, then those behind will have to wait because you took the spot. That’s why this so-called gentleman’s agreement is there. According to you then there is just no such agreement at all because anyone does whatever he likes so it cannot exist.

              Again: Lewis doesn’t give a damn about the agreement, has shown it on numerous accounts. Max too? Did I say Max didn’t? My point is Lewis clearly doesn’t, which is fine for me, but don’t try to say he does somehow respect it while often jumping queues at random and at will.

            2. Lionel Moses
              27th June 2021, 3:09

              Yeah you clearly don’t understand what the so-called “gentleman’s agreement” is actually about. Also the situation in Q3 today was not a case of any other drivers being “too slow.” The others were backing off on the approach to turn 9, each waiting ~5 seconds after the car ahead started a lap before taking off themselves, as they had all been doing for all the qualy runs. The agreement is that one this queue forms, you don’t turn up with excessive overspeed, disregard the other cars waiting, and start your own lap before them. This is what Mazepin did in Bahrain, and what Hamilton did in Austria. It doesn’t matter whether the approach to the final corner is on a straight as in Bahrain, or is a series of corners as in Styria.

              Time was also not a factor, Verstappen was the final car to begin a lap and I believe he did so with more than 10 seconds remaining. Hamilton started his final lap well before then. It was a tire temperature issue, as was state in the article above these comments.

              When your point has been firmly rebutted, it’s usually best to acknowledge the fact and admit one’s error, not to go the fanboy route and say “oh but but but, rival driver I don’t like also did this thing so there!” We could do with less of that in the F1 community.

        2. You’ve got it wrong. Perez’ commented on it and said it affected his lap.
          There is an agreement but HAM did nothing illegal – it does say something of his character though.
          I don’t think it will endear him to the other drivers.

      2. Anon A. Mouse
        27th June 2021, 14:00

        After the farce in Monza several years ago, the “gentlemen’s agreement” has been out the window. It’s a foolish agreement. Do what you have to do to get your lap.

    4. Mark in Florida
      26th June 2021, 18:14

      Make way, make way. Sir Hamilton coming through! Impatience will soon deliver its own kind of reward.

      1. Sir Lewis I believe.

        1. Yes, in the British game of thrones, the knighthood is not a peer and since their titles do not come with any links to territories, they are referred to simply by their first name. So it’s Sir Lewis, wheras someone like the speaker of the House of Lords (John McFall) is called Baron McFall of Alcluith.

        1. I’m sure the other seven ease the pain.

      2. At least justice prevailed – karma.

    5. I guess he just wanted to conclusively prove that no Gentleman’s agreement exists, and that people should stop referring to it from now on.

    6. Mazepin got a lot of heat for doing this earlier in the season, but not much for Sir Ham

    7. It’s funny how violating the so-called gentleman’s agreement ends up in disaster inevitably. Mazepin spun at the first available braking zone in Bahrain, and Lewis was rewarded with three yellow sectors in a pole shootout.

      1. Except in Vettel’s case, who waited to go last in Q2, almost missing it, and still didn’t improve his lap :/

    8. It wasn’t the only mistake by Sir Lewis Hamilton. He made countless mistakes in his second Q3 lap.

      1. Yep and he apologized to his crew – imagine that.
        That’s what happens when you call out your team’s so called mistakes for all the world to hear.
        What goes around comes around.

    9. Cristiano Ferreira
      27th June 2021, 2:12

      “Sir” Stupid Hypocrite 44 is at his best again.

      Gotta love when he and his team cracks under pressure now that they don’t have their dominant engine and car anymore.

      1. Mercedes is notorious for learning from their mistakes and winning championships. I think you mock them too soon.

        1. He thinks Mercedes are the biggest noobs when we all think Ferrari are the biggest noobs.

          1. Please don’t include me in your “we”. What do you mean noobs anyway? Haas might arguably qualify as incompetent beginners, but certainly not Ferrari. They were winning championships before you were born. At least get your slang right when you are insulting people.

            1. I don’t side with Cristiano. Back then Ferrari had terrible seasons, but people didn’t call them noobs back then. They always wished Ferrari would come back stronger the year after. Now, it’s a mockery.

          2. Cristiano Ferreira
            27th June 2021, 15:59

            I never said that Mercedes or Ferrari are noobs.

            What i say is that Mercedes complains too much now that they dont have their dominance anymore, and got the fight that they always wanted, but in turn resorts to call their main competitor a bunch of cheaters.

            They tried to do the same thing on Ferrari for years before Ferrari was caught. No one is allowed to fight them, at least that’s what they (Mercedes) think.

            So yeah, Mercedes and Hamilton are SORE LOSERS.

            1. Now playing: “Lando Norris – Ferrari Diss Track”

    10. This is a anti Lewis Hamilton groep? Why bother posting about someone you’re not supporting?

      1. Amazing isn’t it.

        SLH has got a a large degree of the F1 fanbase on strings. It’s brilliant.

    11. So Lewis makes a mistake on last outing in q3. Apologises to team and he then is ridiculed because he apologizes… The guy is pushing trying to eek out every tenth. He is vying for the wprld championship. What would you do if you were in his shoes? Oh wait you not. You just a nobody that noone will remember tomorrow. Lewis however will always be remembered. And it wont be for his little mistakes.

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