P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Lewis Hamilton has said substantial changes were made to his Mercedes ahead of qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix, with Mercedes suggesting those choices may have contributed to his costly, qualifying-ending mistake.
Lewis Hamilton recently discussed how significant changes made to his car contributed to his early elimination from qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix. The 39-year-old experienced a lock-up heading into Turn 14, resulting in him running wide and losing over half a second in lap time, partially due to these modifications confirmed by Mercedes to RacingNews365. This unfortunate occurrence led to Hamilton being positioned in P18 for the upcoming race, marking his worst qualifying outcome since the 2017 Brazilian Grand Prix. Adapting to new regulations permitting adjustments between sprint and main qualifying sessions, Hamilton and teammate George Russell capitalized on the relaxed parc ferme conditions. Despite his unconventional approach compared to Russell’s successful Q1 navigation, Hamilton expressed the desire to experiment with setup changes but faced challenges maintaining control during the critical hairpin turn. Hamilton’s positive attitude shone through as he vowed to make the most of his starting position and enjoy the race ahead.
