Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari compromised his pole chances by sending him out first in the final Q3 attempt.
Lewis Hamilton came very close to securing his first pole position in three years in Hungary. Having set the fastest time after the first attempts in Q3, the Ferrari driver was ultimately beaten by just 12 thousandths by Lando Norris.
Beyond this small margin, the Briton especially regrets his team’s strategic choice during the final attempt.
Ferrari decided to send him out on track before all his rivals, a scenario that did not convince the seven-time world champion.
“I don’t know why we went out first. That really surprised me.”
“I would never have chosen to be first”
Hamilton believes that leading the pack deprived him of a significant advantage, especially on a track where conditions were rapidly evolving.
“I certainly wouldn’t have chosen to go out first, but that’s how it is.”
The Ferrari driver explains that his last lap quickly became complicated.
“My out-lap was clean, but from the first corner, I had a big loss of grip and was already losing a tenth and a half.”
According to him, this error had a snowball effect until the checkered flag.
“Then everything went wrong. My last lap was the worst of all, whereas all the previous ones were really good.”
“We had the car to take pole”
Hamilton acknowledges, however, that Ferrari had the car capable of securing first place.
He takes some responsibility for this result, even if he admits having difficulty digesting this missed opportunity.
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“We clearly had the car to be on pole today, but I couldn’t make it happen. It’s difficult to accept.”
His day then became even more complicated when he received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Oscar Piastri in qualifying.
A Transformed Ferrari
Despite this double disappointment, Hamilton is pleased with the progress made by Ferrari in recent months.
The Briton believes that the SF-26 is now capable of regularly competing for top positions.
“The car performs well in all areas. The whole team has done a remarkable job and I am extremely grateful to the people at the factory who continue to bring new parts every weekend.”
Hamilton also highlights the spectacular evolution of the car compared to that of the previous season.
“It’s night and day compared to the car we had last year. I’m happy to have contributed to its development to this level, where we can now fight for victories.”
He concludes, however, by reminding that competition remains extremely tight at the top of the hierarchy.
“The gaps between the top teams are tiny. To secure first place, you simply need to have a perfect weekend.”
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