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Lewis Hamilton was not too optimistic about his chances in qualifying after disruptions led to a lack of running on Friday at the Abu Dhabi GP on Friday.
The driver missed FP1, as Mercedes had to field young driver Frederick Vesti, and in FP2, multiple red flags meant that there wasn't much meaningful running for the drivers.
Hamilton did not have much to complain about the car, as he felt there wasn't much wrong with it. He did, however, feel that the lack of running was going to impact him in qualifying. The driver struggled in qualifying in Las Vegas as well.
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The race saw him getting knocked out in Q2 while his teammate George Russell qualified in P3. Looking forward to qualifying for the Abu Dhabi GP, Hamilton kept his target a bit low. He said that he's looking to make it to Q3, telling F1TV:
“It was not the greatest of days. I think I only got like four timed laps really.
"So that’s not a lot in a day in terms of your knowledge of the car and the track. But the car doesn’t feel bad, I think we were not in a terrible place. I just hope I get some more running tomorrow.”
He added:
“I’m just going to try and see if there is way to get into Q3. We’ve had difficult qualifying sessions and getting out of Q1 into Q2 has always been a tough battle. Even just getting into Q3 is a challenge.
"The work tomorrow morning is just going to have to be about making sure we can get into Q3."
Lewis Hamilton feels teammate George Russell is in a better position
While Lewis Hamilton sat out of FP1, his teammate George Russell didn't. The Mercedes driver reckons his counterpart is in a better position in terms of confidence in the car:
“I think it’s going to be close. I think George is looking good. He might be in a better place, but he didn’t miss FP1. Nonetheless, I’m not going to make any excuses I’m just going to try and get on it tomorrow.”
Irrespective of where Lewis Hamilton finishes this weekend, the driver will finish the season P3 in the championship, behind Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez of Red Bull.
