Lewis Hamilton Apologizes to Mercedes Following Verstappen’s Late Steal at United States GP Qualifying
Follow Us
When F1 flagged off the United States Grand Prix at COTA, there were visible signs of Lewis Hamilton snatching his 6th pole position of the season on Saturday afternoon amidst struggling Max Verstappen and a penalty-impending Valtteri Bottas.
But, little did he know that the Dutchman was never going to give up that easy. And rightfully so, Verstappen stole the pole position from Hamilton during the closing stages of qualifying. To make things worse, Hamilton has found himself sandwiched between the two Red Bull drivers.
And that’s not it. Hamilton’s only hope of defeating both the Red Bull duo was using his teammate, Bottas’ help. However, with the Finn set to drop down the order into P9, the Briton will be all on his own, potentially throughout the race on Sunday.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Hence, the fact that Hamilton couldn’t make it work on an afternoon where the pole position was absolutely necessary, he sported a sorry face following the chequered flag.
Lewis Hamilton apologizes to his team
Following the final part of qualifying, Hamilton took to his team radio to apologize for failing to defeat Verstappen. “Sorry guys!” Hamilton said. The Briton further dug deeper and questioned his race engineer where he lost the lap time to his rival.
Trending
Max Verstappen “On Ice” as Return to China Goes Badly for Christian Horner and Co
April 19, 2024 10:58 AM EDT
Daniel Ricciardo To Be Replaced by Liam Lawson After Miami, F1 Pundit Dishes Out Harsh Verdict After Australian’s “Amateur Mistake”
April 17, 2024 11:14 AM EDT
Adrian Newey Hits Out at Climate Activist Lewis Hamilton’s Fuel Protest, Desperate to See V10 Engines Again
April 15, 2024 12:35 PM EDT
Taylor Swift’s Tortured Poets Department Sends F1 Fans Into a Frenzy: “Its a Fernando Reference”
April 19, 2024 09:43 AM EDT
Who are Zhou Guanyu’s Parents? Everything We Know About The Chinese Driver’s Family
April 16, 2024 02:07 PM EDT
Get instantly notified of the hottest F1 stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.
Follow Us
“Where did I lose all that time?” he questioned. His race engineer responded, “A little bit turn 1, a little bit 7, and yeah, 19, 20.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
It was certainly a shocking comeback from Verstappen at COTA, especially after what happened in Turkey and even on Friday in COTA itself. The Dutchman was extremely frustrated throughout FP1 and FP2, as he struggled to match the lap times of the Mercedes duo and his very own teammate, Sergio Perez.
Well, that was an astonishing resurgence from the title contender. He just isn’t letting Hamilton gather a breathing space. Now, with Verstappen back on pole, the pressure is back on the 7-time world champion, and the latter needs an exemplary start on Sunday to crush his title rival.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
But, the question is, will Hamilton be able to do so? Can he fend off Red Bull’s double-trouble to clinch his 6th race win in Austin?
Watch Story: Lewis Hamilton’s Incredible Car Collection