Hamilton down in qualifying against Russell
One hundred and four career pole positions and a huge suffering in qualifying. The Lewis paradox Hamilton in 2024 it’s all on Saturday: in the fight for pole position the seven-time world champion is 9-2 down against George Russell, who is also beating him on Sunday (7-3 when both have reached the finish line).
In short, Hamilton may be a separated man at home but there is something in his driving style that does not allow him to make the most of a Mercedes that Russell instead drove to victory in Austria.
According to the colleague of Cars, Motors and Sports Michael Schmidt, Hamilton’s main problem at least in the Red Bull Ring qualifying would be his lack of “kindness” with the tyres. The seven-time world champion would have been warned by Mercedes of his excessive aggression in his driving stylewhich would have penalised him in the second part of the lap in Austria. This is also confirmed by the data, as Hamilton was the third fastest driver in the first sector in Austria (16.338) but only sixth in T2 (where he lost two tenths to Russell) and in T3 (about two and a half tenths from a supersonic Max Verstappen).
And in 2025 there is Leclerc
Hamilton, who admitted he has never used such sensitive tyres before, must solve his problems in qualifying also because next year he will face Charles Leclerc, one of the very few who on a single lap could have kept up with Hamilton even in the best periods of the Briton’s career.
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