Lack of extra set of inters 'cost Hamilton front row shot'
Lewis Hamilton felt that he had been in the running for pole position in qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix, but missed out for the want of an additional set of intermediate tyres.
Changeable wet weather conditions on Saturday at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps meant that everyone was forced to undertake qualifying on the inters and without the aid of DRS.
Hamilton was second quickest behind Max Verstappen at the end of Q2, but in the final top ten pole shoot-out he lacked a new set of inters for his final run that left him unable to do better than fourth.
That will actually mean he starts P3 on the grid after an engine penalty for Max Verstappen is applied, leaving him starting on the second row alongside McLaren's Lando Norris.
"When I looked at my theoretical time, I should have been second," he told the media in the paddock afterward. "If I'd had another tyre at the end, I think I could have. But I definitely can't complain.
Hamilton felt that aborting an extra run in Q1 had put him on the back foot with his tyre options for the rest of the session. "I'm always comfortable in these conditions."
Hamilton had set a time earlier in the session only to find other cars going faster on new tyres when the rain abated, leaving him needing to take an extra set to be back out and safeguard against being backed into the bottom give.
"We nearly didn’t get through Q1, not through true pace but just because they brought me in, and then at the end we only had one set of tyres and the three guys ahead had another set.
"We needed to get through Q1," he explained. "We came in a bit late, then when I went back out, but there was traffic into the last corner so I didn't get to do that lap.
"That then kind of offsets you through the whole session because I only had one new set at the end," he added. "I do think we could have been further up if we got timing quite perfect in the last stint.
"In hindsight, we would have chosen to run a little later on our new set of Intermediates in Q3, but the conditions and incoming rain are so hard to forecast.
"Our pace was still decent on tyres that we had completed multiple push laps on, so we can be pleased with our efforts today," he added.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff admitted that he had been surprised so many drivers had left it late to run again in Q3 and gamble on the conditions improving just at the last minute.
"We expected heavier rain to arrive and decided to use our final set of new intermediates at the start of the segment. Conditions didn't particularly deteriorate, however.
"We chose the conservative route," he told Sirius TV. "We could probably have started from pole position if we had done what Leclerc did, gambling on it being dry at the end, which worked out for him.
"They were the only ones to go out with the new tyre. Verstappen also had one, but he was the only one of the others. They gambled on a dry finish and that worked out for them.
"Being just one tenth from starting P1 tomorrow, having set our time on tyres that had done multiple laps, is a little frustrating. That's all part of the challenge of Spa though, and overall we can be pleased with our efforts."
Hamilton claimed victory in the British Grand Prix and was on the podium again last week in Hungary, but he sounded doubtful that he could pull that off again on Sunday in dry conditions, despite lining up in P3.
"There's a slight chance we could maybe fight for a podium, but I think it will be really tough," he admitted. "We have McLarens behind us, a Red Bull ahead and another quick Red Bull that's going to come throug [from behind].
"I think the Ferrari is also just there with us in performance," he added. "It's going to be tough."
“I think the race pace was strong for the other guys [in practice]. I’m hoping the changes we made overnight put the car in a slightly better place and it’ll be how I drive it tomorrow that will really seal the deal, or I’ll go backwards.”
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