P1racenews AI automatic summary:
The Mercedes driver starts from fifth on the grid for Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix behind Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and both Aston Martins after a storm cut short the end of qualifying.
Lewis Hamilton attributed his failure to challenge for pole position at the São Paulo Grand Prix to the sudden change in climactic conditions during qualifying. His best lap placed him in fifth position, 0.742s behind Max Verstappen’s pole lap. Due to an impending storm, drivers had only one attempt, and the session was red-flagged with just over 4 minutes remaining. Aston Martin and Charles Leclerc were able to set their times earlier, leaving Hamilton to start behind them. Mercedes’ chances of a repeat one-two finish from last year’s event now appear unlikely based on the qualifying result. Hamilton acknowledged that starting from fifth is not optimal, but he hoped for a strong race. He noted that the car showed signs of decent performance but was generally a couple of tenths off the leading cars, perhaps due to the challenging conditions at the end of qualifying.
Forrás: RacingNews 365
