All Lewis Hamilton could say was “it is what it is” after a disappointing qualifying session in Las Vegas. The Mercedes driver will start Sunday’s race from 10th on the grid, while his team-mate George Russell took pole position.
The Silver Arrows had plenty of pace in Nevada, evidenced by Russell, but two costly errors saw Hamilton fail to match the new face of Mercedes before the seven-time world champion leaves for Ferrari.
In Q3, Hamilton was forced to abandon his first run after locking up and going off the track, while his second effort saw a major snap that kept him in P10. He ended up without a representation time.
Russell finished inside a tenth ahead of Carlos Sainz to take what he described as a “surprise” pole, with plenty of shocks on a cold night on the west coast.
Pierre Gasly took third ahead of Max Verstappen and then Lando Norris, though Hamilton is fully committed to moving up the grid and taking advantage of Mercedes’ supreme pace.
“It is what it is,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1. “It’s been a good weekend so far so I’ll give it my best shot tomorrow. Congrats to George. Conditions are great, it’s nice and cool, it’s been really nice all weekend.
“I’m really quite far back so I’ll just see what I can do from there. Degradation is going to be key, they had an eventful race here last year.”
Russell meanwhile, who made the smart call to go out last in the final Q3 runs, showcased why he has been tasked with taking over from the seven-time world champion for Toto Wolff’s outfit next season.
“You have to put it on the table sometimes,” the 26-year-old added. “I felt confident in myself and knew if I did a clean lap, I would be on the front row.
“To get pole is incredible but ultimately we have had a few good qualifyings and need to convert it.
“It is incredible to be back on pole. We have been so quick all weekend I knew coming into that last Q3 lap, that would be the one that counts, it doesn’t matter what happened before then.
“I had a bit of a moment on my first run. We had to change my front wing. There was a moment I thought we wouldn’t make the flag.
“We have to do some deep diving to understand why we have been so quick this weekend because it was a real surprise.”
