P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Lewis Hamilton described his Mercedes W15 as being “on a knife edge” throughout Saturday’s qualifying for the Formula 1 Australian
Despite holding a record eight pole positions at Albert Park, Hamilton wasn’t likely to be adding a ninth one-lap accolade thanks to the capricious 2024 Mercedes charger. However, the British driver placed an impressive fourth in final practice, just 0.092s shy of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc at the top of the leaderboard. That pace didn’t translate into qualifying – 11th in Q2 and missing out on the top-10 shootout for the first time since 2010 would likely not have been on the seven-time World Champion’s bingo card. Still, Hamilton expressed he was feeling “good” post-session, as he outlined where the pace went between practice and qualifying. Hamilton’s immediate task will be trying to convert 11th into a respectable points finish during Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix. Looking ahead to the main event, the Mercedes driver is unsure where his race pace is at after claiming he hadn’t “done a long run” throughout practice. After another disappointing qualifying day, will Hamilton be seeing red as he attempts to charge into the points tomorrow?
