P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Lewis Hamilton has slammed his F1 performance at the Belgian Grand Prix after a self-proclaimed ‘unacceptable’ qualifying session.
Lewis Hamilton expressed disappointment in his F1 performance at the Belgian Grand Prix, admitting that his qualifying session was “unacceptable.” After a spin during SQ1 on Friday, Hamilton only managed to finish in P15, a far cry from his usual high starting positions. Despite trying to improve in the second qualifying session on Saturday, Hamilton’s lap time was eventually deleted for exceeding track limits at Raidillon, subsequently causing him to drop out of Q1. In a post-qualifying interview with Sky Sports, Hamilton took full responsibility for his underwhelming performance and issued an apology to his team, acknowledging that it was a poor showing on his part to be eliminated in both Q1 sessions.
Hamilton’s struggles were not unique, as he was joined by Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli in facing a double Q1 exit at Spa, leaving both drivers starting towards the back of the grid in P16 and P18, respectively. While Hamilton faced disappointment, his teammate Charles Leclerc managed to outpace Max Verstappen and secure a third-place grid slot for the upcoming Grand Prix. The weekend at Spa was a tale of contrasting fortunes for the Mercedes team, with Hamilton enduring a nightmare while Leclerc showed impressive performance.
