‘I just don’t have any confidence in the car’ – Hamilton dismayed after Sprint Qualifying struggles in Sao Paulo

Lewis Hamilton was left downbeat after Sprint Qualifying at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, with track surface troubles and a lack of pace contributing to his P11 result in the closely-fought session.

The seven-time world champion failed to make the cut for the top 10, missing out by just under one-tenth of a second to the Williams of Alex Albon.

READ MORE: Piastri beats Norris to stunning Sprint Qualifying pole in Sao Paulo by 0.029s

Both Hamilton and his team mate George Russell had made comments earlier in the weekend’s sole practice session about the track feeling extremely bumpy, making it an uncomfortable ride for the Mercedes duo.

But while Russell seemingly got on top of some of their problems to qualify in P6, Hamilton was knocked out alongside Red Bull’s Sergio Perez while a selection of midfield drivers made it through to SQ3.

Asked to summarise his session, Hamilton said: “Pretty bad, but it’s the same as every qualifying for me, not that I’m happy about it. I just don’t have any confidence in the car so a big struggle for me."

HIGHLIGHTS: Piastri storms to Sao Paulo Sprint Qualifying pole as Hamilton and Perez knocked out early

He continued: “[F]P1 was like Baku 2022 for us down the straight, it was hitting so hard so we did lift the car. It was a little bit better in terms of it wasn’t hitting the deck so badly, so I wasn’t in pain or anything like that. The thing’s hopping through all the corners so the thing’s very hard to drive.”

The Briton seemed to struggle significantly with the uneven feeling of the track, leaving him indifferent in the outcome of the rest of the weekend – with two chances to score points on the table, there is still plenty of time for the team to improve.

“It is what it is, it will be what it will be,” Hamilton said. “I’m not really massively bothered, if I’m honest. I think if I can move forward in the Sprint, great. I’ll try again in qualifying two, make some changes to the car and see what we can do.”

Russell was slightly more upbeat, agreeing that the issues with a bumpy surface were “the same for everyone” throughout the Friday sessions. Combined with a change in the weather from sunny to overcast and windy, there were plenty of factors impacting car performance.

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“It was a challenging session as it got colder as the session progressed,” Russell explained. “P6 – as we’ve said for a little while – that’s kind of where we are as a team so could be better, could be worse.

“Definitely looking forward because I think we’re at the back of the front pack. There seems to be a bit of a pace delta to the next group of drivers. Honestly I enjoy the Sprint races, arriving here on a Friday straight into some action… it’s pretty fun.”