“I’m just slow,” says Hamilton

“I’m definitely not fast anymore,” says seven-time world champion, after finishing the Sprint Shootout 0.399s off his teammate’s pace.

Throughout the season so far, George Russell has out-qualified Hamilton 17 times in the grands prix, 22 times if you include the Shootouts, and is 9 points ahead in the driver standings. Both have secured two wins each, although Hamilton’s win in Belgium followed his teammate’s disqualification.

Following the Shootout, Hamilton, who will be moving to Ferrari next season, expressed his disappointment.

“I’m just slow,” he admitted to F1TV. “It’s the same thing every weekend… the car felt relatively decent, no issues, not much else to say,” he continued.

Acknowledging that the performance struggles are not solely his fault, and noting that the car’s performance varies from track to track, Hamilton, who holds the record for 107 pole positions, commented: “Who knows. I’m definitely not fast anymore.”

“The long run pace didn’t feel too bad,” he continued, “but consistently being where I am makes it nearly impossible to compete for wins from that position.

“However, that’s how it goes in the Sprint, I’ll give it my all tomorrow.”

While his race pace is comparable to his teammate’s, Hamilton has always recognized that the new era of cars require a different driving style, leading to his struggles in qualifying pace.

For more images from Qatar, check out our Friday gallery here.