Lewis Hamilton cut a dejected figure after qualifying on Saturday as he once again complained about his car’s setup for the Mexico City Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion is approaching his final few races with Mercedes to end one of the most successful partnerships in F1 history.
But his time with the Silver Arrows appears to be ending on a sour note with Hamilton not happy with his car in qualifying for the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Hamilton ended up sixth on the grid and three-tenths slower than his team-mate George Russell for Sunday’s race.
Lewis Hamilton was downbeat after a disappointing Mexico City Grand Prix qualifying session
Getty
The 39-year-old is running with new upgrades on his car introduced at last week’s United States Grand Prix while Russell is running an older model of the W15.
After crashing in Friday’s second practice, Russell had to revert to a version of the floor first introduced all the way back in May.
But he still managed to outqualify Hamilton for the 15th time this season and it’s something the F1 veteran has begrudgingly learned to accept this year.
“I’m losing all the time, that’s why I’ve been so bad in qualifying all year,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1.
“It’s a normal thing and I’m used to it.
“We have done everything. We worked so hard in the background, like everyone does, to get the car in a nice place.
“It was feeling good in final practice, so we were like, ‘let’s not touch anything or do anything’. All we changed was the rear wing and it’s just a drastic difference.
“Every time I get to qualifying the car is completely different. I can’t pinpoint why, but it is what it is.”
Lewis Hamilton feel he’s not had a good qualifying all year
REUTERS
Speaking later in the day, Hamilton complained further about the issues he’s dealing with inside the cockpit.
“It was like it flipped on its head [between FP3 and qualifying]. It’s a very strange thing with the car,” he added.
“It will be interesting to get a reading because I’m obviously on the upgraded car, which should be quicker. But I don’t think it is.
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George Russell will start ahead of Lewis Hamilton
GETTY
“We have three-wheeling and the ride height is moving 15mm up and down and when it does that, it s***s the bed basically.”
Despite struggling in qualifying throughout the year, Hamilton has fared much better on race day and currently sits ahead of his team-mate in the standings.
There are currently 10 points between the two Mercedes drivers with five races remaining.