So far, the Formula 1 Miami GP 2022 has been a rollercoaster ride for Mercedes, and especially for Lewis Hamilton, who was the only Silver Arrows driver to make it to the last round of qualifying after George Russell will stay in Q2.
The seven-time world champion was almost always behind his young teammate, but he asserted his stripes to begin to regain the confidence he seemed to have lost at the start of the year.
With a good lap seeing the pace of his W13 , the Englishman was able to climb to sixth position in qualifying, although he still doesn’t know how they have improved compared to the last Imola round: “It was a bit confusing because of yesterday’s pace. We don’t know why we looked faster than we really were.”
“Today we were a bit surprised to see that, in Free Practice 3, we were quite behind, so it was a bit frustrating in qualifying,” he continued. “We haven’t taken a step forward or anything like that, but we have to keep working.”
If at the beginning of 2022 there was talk of limiting damage, Hamilton wants to put that behind him, explaining that he gives his all at every moment: “I’ve only done qualifying, so I’m not looking at damage limitation. What I want is to try do my best in the race.”
“In general, I’m very happy with the work I’ve done today, I’ve done the best I could with the car I have. It’s a very difficult car to drive, I’ve done a good job and I’m happy,” said the seven-time champion of the world.
Although they have not managed to return to the dominant position that they enjoyed throughout the hybrid era, they have taken a leap forward, the same one that they continue to suffer with porpoising : “I have had it in all the races.”
However, Hamilton has taken good impressions of the new Miami circuit: “I think it’s great, the track is impressive. It’s a different feature, it’s not the same as all the others, there are a couple of potholes we could fix, plus that we should get rid of the chicane. Other than that, it’s great.”
The Mercedes driver will start from a position that gives him options to be the best of the rest, behind the unbeatable Ferrari and Red Bull, although for this he will have to overcome an old acquaintance, the one who was his partner for five seasons, Valtteri Bottas .
The Englishman will have to face leaving the dirty zone with his W13 , but that does not prevent his desire to return to the top from being affected, as has been understood by his statements after qualifying in Miami.
