Lewis Hamilton isn’t optimistic about his chances of qualifying at the Yas Marina Circuit after a challenging day of racing on Friday in Abu Dhabi.
Lewis Hamilton provided a pessimistic assessment of his chances of making it through the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifying round.
After missing the first session, the seven-time World Champion finished the second Formula One race in eighth position. Meanwhile, Frederik Vesti participated in his second practice of the year.
Two red flags in FP2 prevented all drivers from running, which made it even harder for those who missed the first session.
Hamilton is optimistic about doing more running in FP3 before qualifying on Saturday, despite his claim that the car doesn’t feel uncomfortable.
“Not particularly no, it was not the greatest of days,” Lewis said when asked if he was happy with his day.
“I think I only got about four timed laps really, which is not a lot in a day in terms of your knowledge of the car and the track.
“The car doesn’t feel bad, we’re not in a terrible place. I just hope I get some more running [on Saturday].
Hamilton hints at qualifying struggle
Hamilton hinted that he might be in for more difficulty in Abu Dhabi after suffering three Q2 exits during qualifying this year.
Hamilton declared, “I’m going to try and see if there’s a way to get into Q3.”
“We’ve had challenging qualifying sessions, and moving past Q1 into Q2 has always been a challenging task. It’s difficult to enter Q3 at all.
“Making sure we enter Q3 must be the focus of the work on Saturday morning. It will probably be close. “George [Russell] appears well; he may have moved to a better place, but he is not absent from FP1. However, I’m just going to get on it and won’t be making any excuses.”
