Lewis Hamilton relying on 'great team' to improve Mercedes car after disappointing Saudi Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton was disappointed with his race but insisted Mercedes have ‘got a great team’ to try to put things right. Hamilton briefly looked like continuing the surprise improvement he offered up in the Bahrain Grand Prix race last weekend.

Ad/> He took third place in the season-opener and at practice sessions the Mercedes car looked more competitive than it had at times in free practice. However when it came to qualifying on Saturday in Saudi Arabia, he failed to get out of Q1 for the first time since the Brazilian Grand Prix back in 2017.

Saudi Arabian Grand PrixVerstappen and Leclerc threaten to consign Hamilton to obscurity43 MINUTES AGO While he was able to move up into 15th on the grid courtesy of Mick Schumacher’s crash and subsequent withdrawal, he could only improve five more places to take a solitary championship point with a 10th-placed finish. Teammate George Russell improved by a single place over the course of the race to finish in fifth.

Hamilton had declared his car ‘undriveable’ after Saturday’s showing despite saying he would attempt to battle through the pack despite the disadvantages of his Mercedes. Looking back after the race’s final lap, he admitted that he was less concerned about Ferrari and Red Bull ahead of him, and more worried about fending off the challenge from the mid-ranking Haas team.

Verstappen and Leclerc threaten to consign Hamilton to obscurity Verstappen wins Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after epic battle with Leclerc Verstappen 'really happy' with Saudi GP win, Leclerc gives 'respect' to champion «What I know is that today, I couldn’t keep up with the Haas at the end,” he said. “The power they have, they came slingshotting past me when I overtook Magnussen earlier on in the race.