Lewis Hamilton laments “pretty poor” race pace after Austrian GP qualifying

After a podium finish in the Spanish Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton is struggling to find the pace at Red Bull Ring in Spielberg this weekend. The legendary British spoke on his driving during the Austrian GP qualifying.

Since the beginning of the 2022 Aero Effect era in Formula 1, the eight-time constructor championship winner Mercedes-AMG has struggled to keep up with the likes of Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Ferrari. Their race cars (W13 and W14) had largely been affected by porpoising (an aerodynamic phenomenon that leads to the car bouncing rapidly at high speeds).

However, through the years, the German outfit has managed to find solutions to their problems by implementing crucial updates. Now, in the 2024 season, the team is finally looking competitive. However, despite successful outings in Canada and Spain, Lewis Hamilton has struggled with pace again at the ongoing Austrian Grand Prix weekend.

During a media interaction, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion commented on the lack of pace of the W15. He said:

“My race pace was pretty poor this morning but we have changed the car, so I’m hoping that it will be better tomorrow in race pace. We have gone up on rear wing, so yeah I’m hoping that we can lean a bit more on the Ferraris and try and go for a podium somehow. I just gotta get past the Ferraris [around] as soon as possible”

With changes made to the rear wing, Hamilton is hoping for a better race pace on Sunday. Despite hardships in the Sprint race and Qualifying, the #44 driver is looking to get past the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz at the earliest.

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A brief look at Lewis Hamilton's struggle during the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix weekend

After the success in Canada and Spain, Lewis Hamilton started the Austrian Grand Prix weekend on a positive note. However, the 39-year-old British driver was unable to capitalize on the form from last Sunday.

During the sole Free Practice (FP1) session, Hamilton was unable to match the pace of Red Bull Racing (Max Verstappen), McLaren (Oscar Piastri), and the Ferrari duo (Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz). The situation remained nearly identical in the Sprint Qualifying session, where Hamilton finished in sixth position behind his teammate George Russell (fourth place).

Throughout the Sprint race, Lewis Hamilton was unable to overtake Sainz, ending the morning session in sixth (no change). However, with a change made to the rear wing of his W15, the #44 racer made slight progress by gaining a position and qualifying in fifth place behind Sainz.