Lewis Hamilton has delivered a brutal verdict on Mercedes’ pace after he could only manage a P8 finish in qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion will now start behind his Mercedes team-mate George Russell, as well as behind the Williams of Alex Albon and McLaren’s star rookie Oscar Piastri.
Hamilton’s qualifying outing was far from comfortable with the Stevenage-born driver needing a strong late lap to even secure his place in Q3. The British legend made it through in the end but couldn’t pose a threat to Ferrari or Red Bull in the final stage of the session.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the race, Hamilton explained: “Not the greatest [session] actually, but it started off [with a] P1. Round one was the best the car has felt and then it’s kind of fallen off since then.
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When asked if he had any idea why Mercedes had struggled for pace, he simply replied: “I don’t know.”
“We’re all very similar pace. What’s impressive is to see how quick the Williams is. You know, to be leapfrogged by the Williams and the McLaren… Yeah, it’s not easy, but George [Russell] did a great job today so I’ve just got to try and progress forwards somehow tomorrow.
“The Williams will be almost impossible to overtake as they’re fastest on the straights, but when there’s a will, there’s a way.”
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While P8 will be a frustrating qualifying outcome for Hamilton, he is still in a better position than Fernando Alonso, with whom he is battling for the honour of finishing P3 in the Drivers’ Championship this season.
The Aston Martin driver started the season in immense form, taking five podium finishes from his first six Grand Prix outings of the season, but the Silverstone-based team’s performance level has since dipped dramatically.
A second-placed finish at Zandvoort last weekend stretched the Spaniard’s advantage over Hamilton to 12 points, but the seven-time world champion will be expected to claw back some ground when the chequered flag waves tomorrow afternoon.
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