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Lewis Hamilton is unsure whether he will be able to make it into Q3 at the 2023 F1 Spanish GP qualifying session on Saturday, June 3. He explained how he has his work cut out for the session.
Furthermore, the Briton pointed out how other teams and drivers have stepped up and improved their pace, which will make qualifying even more difficult.
According to F1.com, Lewis Hamilton said:
“I think from the pace that I had today, it’s a struggle for me currently to get into the top 10, but hopefully we’ll do some changes overnight. I think it’s very, very close between us and that middle kind of… After P5, back to kind of P10. It’s really, really close between us all, and it’s impressive to see all the improvements that everyone seems to have made all around us.”
This statement from the Mercedes was quite surprising to many, as the Mercedes W14 is not as bad as he was claiming it to be. Despite having a bad season, the Silver Arrows are still one of the top teams on the grid, with the third or fourth fastest car on the grid after Red Bull, Aston Martin, and even Ferrari.
Hence, several F1 fans flocked to Twitter and reacted to what Lewis Hamilton said after Friday's practice sessions. They claimed that the Briton was intentionally downplaying his chances of getting into Q3 and essentially sandbagging.
"Each race its the same story, and then he qualis in the top 5. I dont get his tactics," was one tweet.
Nonetheless, both Friday practice sessions were not the best for Lewis Hamilton as he finished 12th and 11th, respectively. Hence, there could be a slight chance of his statements being true, especially considering how other teams will turn up their engines during qualifying sessions. Only time will tell how the seven-time world champion and his team perform.
Fernando Alonso believes Lewis Hamilton could still win his eighth world title
Lewis Hamilton's old rival, Fernando Alonso, believes the Briton can still win his record-breaking eighth world title before hanging up his boots. After the intense and controversial 2021 F1 season, Hamilton is simply unable to come anywhere near the top spot in the drivers' championship table. However, Alonso believes it could happen sometime in the future.
As per F1Briefings, the Spanish driver said:
“Lewis will be in contention for the eighth title. I don’t know if that will be next year, or in the future, but he will have another chance of winning the championship, that is for sure. Mercedes are a very strong team, and Lewis is a very strong driver. He doesn’t forget how to drive from one season to the next."
Lewis Hamilton is currently in fourth place with 69 points. He is closely followed by his teammate, George Russell, with 50 points.
