Lewis Hamilton says a Formula 1 victory at the Las Vegas Grand Prix would have been “a breeze” if he had been able to put a lap together in qualifying on Friday.
The Briton made errors on both flying laps in Q3, having locked up on his first attempt at Turn 14 and then had a slide at Turn 4 on his second – which ultimately led to that time’s deletion.
Hamilton’s fastest lap from Q2 would have been good enough for third on the grid, but he instead started from 10th and had ground to make up; early passes on Nico Hulkenberg, Oscar Piastri, and Yuki Tsunoda helped bring him into contention.
He then displayed stronger pace over the other frontrunners, as Mercedes appeared to be at home on the cooler, low-grip track surface, although an attempt to close in on his winning team-mate George Russell eventually stalled out.
“That was great,” Hamilton remarked. “Firstly I’ve got to say a big congratulations to Max winning the championship, still with several races to go.
“And if I’d done my job yesterday, it would have been a breeze today. But it’s okay. I had fun coming from the back, coming from 10th and the team did a fantastic job.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, 2nd position, kisses his trophy on the podium
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
“We don’t know why we were so quick this weekend, but that’s the best the car’s ever felt. So I’m grateful to have been a part of getting it to that point.
“Maybe the reason that we did so well is because it’s cold. If we’re in a hot climate, that’s where we struggle the most.
“If the car drives like that in the next couple of races, then I think we’ll be in a good spot to challenge the guys up front. The championship’s done, so now it’s just an all-out fight for the best positions possible.”
Russell described his win in Las Vegas as a “dream weekend” and, like Hamilton, was surprised that Mercedes could carry its pace throughout the entire weekend.
He admitted to expecting chaos to emerge behind him, and was pleasantly surprised that he was able to streak into the lead with very little to derail him from his path to victory.
“I was planning on flying in a couple of hours, but I’m definitely not getting on that flight and I’m going to enjoy this evening with all my with all my team,” Russell said.
“It’s been a dream of a weekend. I don’t know how we would have been so quick, but I’m just riding this wave right now. I can’t even describe this place.
“To get the victory here, pole position, dominant weekend, one-two with Lewis as well, you know, we couldn’t have chosen a better place to make this happen.
“I was just waiting for something to happen. The two races I’ve been on pole before, it’s always been chaos.
“Rain, dry, and always something happening. Last race in Brazil with the red flag. I thought ‘I feel confident here. I’ve got a good gap, but I’m just waiting for something to happen’. And it didn’t. So I guess my luck has turned!”
