F1, Lewis Hamilton gives up: harsh reflection on Ferrari and Red Bull

The great disappointment after the hopes of the past few days.

Lewis Hamilton will start fourth at the French Grand Prix in Le Castellet, beaten in qualifying by Charles Leclerc and the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. It is, however, the gap he suffered from his rivals (a full nine tenths from the poleman) that generated his bitter reflection at the end of the day.

“Ferrari and Red Bull are too far behind us,” confessed the seven-time Mercedes world champion. “They are doing a championship apart, and clearly we were hoping to arrive here in better conditions. I thought that by improving by half a tenth we were getting closer, but they gave us a second gap.”

Hamilton, moreover, was unable to give an explanation for Mercedes’ problems: “An answer I don’t have. I feel really happy with the car, we have concretely grown. My last lap in qualifying was very good, but we were still a second slower than the others. We are working hard, but this is the situation. And I think it will be the same tomorrow, because even just in the straights we give up half a second.”