Lewis Hamilton issued an apology to his Mercedes team after qualifying at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton apologized to his team after qualifying seventh at the Monaco Grand Prix. Despite showing strong pace throughout the weekend, Hamilton could only secure a spot on the fourth row with his W15.
In other news, Lando Norris made a cheeky comment about Sergio Perez as the competition within Red Bull heats up, while Charles Leclerc clinched pole position, leaving Max Verstappen struggling again.
Hamilton had been consistently among the top three in all practice sessions leading up to qualifying and performed well in Q1 and Q2. However, he couldn’t deliver during the final runs of Q3, placing only ahead of Alex Albon, Yuki Tsunoda, and Pierre Gasly. After crossing the line, Hamilton apologized to his team, saying, “I’m sorry guys.” This result marks another instance where Hamilton has been out-qualified by his teammate George Russell in seven out of the eight races in 2024.
Hamilton has acknowledged his qualifying difficulties in comparison to Russell. Although he often excels during the Grand Prix, his Saturday performances have been lacking. He commented, “The whole weekend is focused on improving in all areas. Qualifying has been particularly challenging since the end of last year and throughout this season. I’m working on it, and while I haven’t achieved a strong position yet, there are plenty of races left to address these issues. I’m confident that my race performance can compensate for my qualifying struggles.”
Hamilton will start behind Max Verstappen, the current championship leader, who has had a tough weekend. Despite finding some pace during qualifying, Verstappen couldn’t challenge Charles Leclerc for pole position. He was on course for a top-three finish but hit the wall at Turn One on his final lap, resulting in a P6 starting position.
