Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes driver says Las Vegas GP would have been ‘a breeze’ without qualifying error

Lewis Hamilton said “it would have been a breeze” for him to win the Las Vegas Grand Prix had he not made errors in qualifying that left him starting from 10th on the grid.

The seven-time world champion produced a superb drive to come through the field and finish just seven seconds behind his Mercedes team-mate George Russell, who won from pole position.

Hamilton and Russell were tightly matched throughout the first two parts of qualifying before the former made errors on each of his flying laps in Q3 to all but end his hopes of victory in the Saturday night race.

“If I’d done my job yesterday, it would have been a breeze today,” said Hamilton, who is leaving Mercedes at the end of the season to join Ferrari.

“But it’s ok. I had fun coming from 10th. The team did a fantastic job.

“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.

“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 all out, fight for the best positions possible.”

Russell finally gets ‘smidge of fortune’

After claiming his second victory of the season, Russell admitted a series of bad luck in recent races he has been in contention for victory in left him expecting something to go wrong in Las Vegas.

Russell failed to win from pole position in Brazil and Canada, while he took the chequered flag first in Belgium only to later be disqualified for his car being under weight.

“This season it just felt like every time we had the pace, there were just so many curveballs thrown at us,” he said.

“Last week (round) in Brazil, leading – the red flag. Montreal, sun on pole, car was quick, rain-dry-rain. Belgium, disqualified.

“And it’s like, when are we going to get just a smidge of fortune? That whole race I was waiting for something to happen, and it just never came.”

Despite F1 having an intense triple-header of races to finish the season, with the next round in Qatar next weekend, Russell revealed he had changed his travel plans to celebrate in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

He added: “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 team.

“It’s been a dream of a weekend. I don’t know how we’ve been so quick, but I’m just riding this wave right now.”

Wolff: Mercedes could have gone even faster

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff revealed that despite the comfortable nature of their one-two finish, his drivers could have gone even faster.

“It feels really nice,” Wolff told Sky Sports F1.

“Today we really crushed everyone, dominant, we could have gone easily faster, at times two seconds quicker than everybody else.”

Since winning three out of four races before the sport’s summer break, Mercedes have struggled and fallen away from the battle at top between McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull.

When the W15 performs it has been capable of beating the other front-running teams, but a small operating window has too often hampered them.

Wolff insisted that the team understood why they were so quick in the cold evening conditions in Las Vegas, dismissing the notion their stunning speed was something of a fluke.

“We do (understand),” he said. “It’s just when you design a car and you put it on track, you try to have it good at every track, and we seem to be very good when it’s high speed and when it’s a bit on the chillier side with less grip.

“And that’s something we can be proud about. But when it’s getting hot, that is where the car is not performing so well.”

Wolff paid tribute to both of his drivers, highlighting a crucial early sequence when Russell fended off the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc.

He said: “George’s driving was just from another planet. He kept it under control and managed it all the time. I think the defending against Leclerc was spectacular.

“And Lewis came from P10 with a super strong car, finishing just five seconds [sic] behind George. Chapeau.”

Formula 1’s season-ending triple-header continues next weekend with the Qatar Grand Prix, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream the final two F1 races and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime