A frustrated Lewis Hamilton said he should have been on pole position for the 2024 Las Vegas GP after a series of blunders in the final stage of qualifying cost him the chance to start from the lead for the first time since July 2023.
The seven-time world champion had looked good throughout the weekend by topping both FP1 and FP2 as well as being very competitive in Q1 and Q2 but it all came falling apart in Q3 when he made mistakes on both of his laps.
It was a pretty apt summary of his season on Saturdays, and Hamilton found himself frustrated after the blunders at the 2024 Las Vegas GP as he confessed he should have been on pole position.
But a lock-up at Turn 14 saw him abandon his first attempt, whilst on his second he had to catch a slide of oversteer that took him outside of the bounds of the track and ensured he will be starting a long way from pole, which was claimed by George Russell in the other Mercedes.
“I should have been on pole but I’m not,” Hamilton told media at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit. “It is what it is. C’est la vie [that’s life]. You live to fight another day.”
Hamilton gives Las Vegas GP forecast
Now 10th on the grid and with a mountain to climb once again, the 39-year-old will be tasked with another recovery drive as his nightmare end to his time as a Mercedes driver only continues to sour.
The 2024 Las Vegas GP will mark the third time in four weekends that he has had to fight back to get to roughly around where he should have started the races anyway, and he tried to remain upbeat as he turns his attention to November 24.
“It’s been a good weekend so far so I’ll give it my best shot tomorrow,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1. “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.”
