AUSTIN — In his own words, his car felt “great” Friday.
But Saturday was a different story for Lewis Hamilton.
The Mercedes driver and seven-time champion suffered a shocking Q1 exit at Saturday's F1 United States Grand Prix and will start Sunday's main event from last place. including dialogue with the media, SB Nationafter qualifying, Hamilton pointed to a suspension problem that had started just before the start of the F1 sprint race earlier in the day, and Hamilton finished sixth.
“The car felt great yesterday,” Hamilton said after qualifying. “Obviously, we were very optimistic today. When we came off the line on the formation lap, there was literally something wrong with the front suspension, and it continued throughout the race.”
The team carried out repairs to the car after the F1 sprint race to resolve the issue, but Hamilton admitted that the W15 “felt like a mess” during qualifying.
“So when we figured it out, they turned the corner, but it didn't feel different. It felt like a mess, to be honest.”
Hamilton praised the team's changes and said they were “fully committed” before being asked what was realistic for him at Sunday's American Grand Prix.
“Actually, not that much,” was his brutally honest answer.
Now the seven-time champion is off and wondering what happened Saturday afternoon in Austin.
