"Kinda lame excuse tbh" - Fans don't buy Lewis Hamilton blaming upgrades for his deficit to George Russell

F1 fans were left slightly disappointed when Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton blamed the upgrade package for his deficit to his teammate, George Russell, in the qualifying session at the Monaco GP on Saturday. After showcasing some promising times in the three practice sessions, the seven-time world champion struggled to extract the best laps from the W15 as he qualified P7 for the main race on Sunday.

Hamilton never looked comfortable in qualifying as he often found himself on the fringes of the top 10, while Russell, who qualified P5, was in the upper end of the grid.

In his post-qualifying interview with Sky Sports, Lewis Hamilton gave an account of his struggles over one lap and pointed out that he did not see the outcome changing anytime soon. He said:

"I anticipated it would be difficult to outqualify George because he has the upgraded component, but it's great to see we are bringing upgrades. Once we got to Qualifying, I don't understand.

"I already know automatically that I'm going to lose two-tenths [of a second] going into Qualifying. That's definitely frustrating and something I don't have an answer for. I don't anticipate being ahead of George in Qualifying this year."

F1 fans took to social media to give their reactions to Lewis Hamilton's comments on X, saying:

"Kinda lame excuse tbh," said a fan.

"Toto should just get a new driver and test now. Lewis is checked out. He will complain at Ferrari next year too," wrote another fan.

"Don't like this excuse LH," claimed another.

Here are some more reactions:

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Former F1 world champion gives his take on Lewis Hamilton's comments after qualifying

Former F1 world champion Jenson Button Stated that he would be surprised if Mercedes favored George Russell over Lewis Hamilton, given what the latter had done for the team for more than a decade.

As quoted by Sky Sports, the 2009 world champion believed that the German team would give 'equal treatment' to both drivers:

"I would be surprised. Because of what Lewis has done for this team - obviously, they gave him a car to fight for a championship - I disagree. I don't think that would be the case.

"Maybe they won't tell him what the parts are or how quick they will be, but they will give him equal treatment."

Lewis Hamilton has a deficit of 1-7 to his teammate George Russell in the eight qualifying sessions so far in the 2024 season.

The seven-time world champion is also behind in the driver's championship, as he has scored 35 points compared to Russell's 44 in the eight races and two Sprints. Hamilton sits P8 in the standings, a place behind his young compatriot.