Hamilton "over-egged" final Q3 lap

  • Published on 29 Sep 2018 18:03
  • comments 0
  • By: Fergal Walsh

Lewis Hamilton says that pushing a bit too hard on his final lap in Q3 cost him the chance of pole position. The Briton will start Sunday's race from second place after teammate Valtteri Bottas took his first pole position since the Austrian Grand Prix earlier this year. 

Hamilton trailed Bottas by just four-thousandths of a second following their first run and knew he had time to make up in the middle sector. However, he ran wide through Turn 7 which cost him time he could not recover which left him to bail out and return to the garage.

"The first lap in Q3 was down three-tenths in the middle sector, but I was up in the first and last [sectors]," he said. "So I knew I had to push quite a lot because I knew he would also gain time. So rather than another three-tenths, it was five-tenths I had to improve and I just over-egged it a little bit. I think I picked up a bit of dirt on my outside tyres and there was just less grip there for the next corner."

Hamilton currently leads the driver's championship by 40 points over Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel. The four-time world champion says his aim is to win the race on Sunday, but says that the start and the strategies will be the deciding factors in the outcome.

"I think all of our goals is to try and win this race. It's a difficult track to overtake. The start will be an interesting one, and after that it's really about strategy, which we're all pretty much on the same. We'll just give it everything we've got," the Mercedes driver added.

Replies (0)

Login to reply

BE Grand Prix of Belgium

Local time 06:06

BEGrand Prix of Belgium

Local time 06:06

World Championship standings 2025

Show full world champion standings

Test calendar

See full test schedule

Related news

Give your opinion!

Will Bottas challenge Hamilton for the world championship in 2020?

Formula 1 Calendar - 2025

Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
-
Bahrain
14 - Mar 16
Australia
21 - Mar 23
China
4 - Apr 6
Japan
11 - Apr 13
Bahrain
18 - Apr 20
Saudi Arabia
2 - May 4
United States of America
16 - May 18
Italy
23 - May 25
Monaco
30 - Jun 1
Spain
13 - Jun 15
Canada
27 - Jun 29
Austria
4 - Jul 6
United Kingdom
25 - Jul 27
Belgium
1 - Aug 3
Hungary
29 - Aug 31
Netherlands
5 - Sep 7
Italy
19 - Sep 21
Azerbaijan
3 - Oct 5
Singapore
17 - Oct 19
United States of America
24 - Oct 26
Mexico
7 - Nov 9
Brazil
21 - Nov 23
United States of America
28 - Nov 30
Qatar
5 - Dec 7
United Arab Emirates
See full schedule

Formula 1 Calendar - 2025

Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
14 - Mar 16
Australia Albert Park
21 - Mar 23
4 - Apr 6
11 - Apr 13
18 - Apr 20
Saudi Arabia Jeddah Street Circuit
2 - May 4
United States of America Miami International Autodrome
16 - May 18
23 - May 25
Monaco Monte Carlo
30 - Jun 1
13 - Jun 15
27 - Jun 29
Austria Red Bull Ring
4 - Jul 6
United Kingdom Silverstone
25 - Jul 27
1 - Aug 3
Hungary Hungaroring
29 - Aug 31
Netherlands Circuit Zandvoort
5 - Sep 7
Italy Monza
19 - Sep 21
Azerbaijan Baku City Circuit
3 - Oct 5
17 - Oct 19
United States of America Circuit of the Americas
24 - Oct 26
7 - Nov 9
Brazil Interlagos
21 - Nov 23
United States of America Las Vegas Street Circuit
28 - Nov 30
5 - Dec 7
United Arab Emirates Yas Marina Circuit
See full schedule

Driver profile

  • Team Mercedes
  • Points 1,608
  • Podiums 61
  • Grand Prix 209
  • Country FI
  • Date of b. Aug 28 1989 (35)
  • Place of b. Nastola, FI
  • Weight 70 kg
  • Length 1.73 m
Show full profile

Team profile

Show full profile
show sidebar