#07.03.26

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LEWIS HAMILTON POST QUALIFYING IN AUSTRALIA [P7] | 07.03.26

“Yeah, it was not the best qualifying but I felt solid all weekend, been really really happy in the car and feeling super motivated. Up until end of Q1 on the medium tyre was feeling great, I was third or fourth with just the medium tyre. And then we got into Q2 we had some problems with the engine and deployment and then it kind of threw a bunch of spanners in the mix and we really struggled to exceed and get the best lap. So I think, if things hadn’t been an issue, we probably could’ve been fine… third, fourth. Couldn’t be able to catch Mercedes but still lots of work to do to and progress to be made.” Suprised by the gap to Merc? "No. I think… what’s clear is that they didn’t show the engine power through any of the practice [sessions] because you know, there’s the whole talk of the compression ratio and obviously done a really solid job with their engine, which we have as well but would be interesting to… I’m trying to understand why it’s 2 tenths or more just through power per sector. If it is the compression thing, I wanna understand why the FIA haven’t done anything, what’s been done to rectify it but if it’s not and it’s just pure pace, then we have to do a better job.”

[radiantrebellion]

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Max Verstappen: "It already felt really bad in the simulator, to the point where I didn't want to drive it. It's just the same now. I'm not happy at all. And that has nothing to do with where I qualified. Whether I was at the front or where I am now: in terms of emotion and feeling, I'm completely empty." "I have no emotion. It's completely empty," he repeats a little later. Asked if he feels it won't be a very long season: "Yes, but I've already mentally prepared myself for that." 'The formula isn't right' "You simply can't drive naturally," he explains. "You have to keep your foot on the gas as much as possible everywhere to save the battery. And you have to approach certain corners differently to save battery power on the exit. For me, this has very little to do with racing." When asked if he feels more like a manager than a driver this year, he shrugs: "You just have to make it work with what you've got. And what we have at the moment isn't very much!" Motorsport.com

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CHARLES EXPLAINING THE ISSUE BOTH LEWIS AND HIM HAD IN Q2/Q3 | 07.03.26

"basically, the car is learning based on the previous laps. with the issues we've had in q2, the red flag in q3 the only base we had was q1, so then coming into q3 we weren't exactly optimal"

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LEWIS HAMILTON POST QUALIFYING IN AUSTRALIA [P7] | 07.03.26 "We couldn't touch the Mercedes, but it is what it is." Expectations for the race? "I expect (the race) to be a real challenge tomorrow, I have no clue how starts are going to go and strategy and all those sorts of things and overtaking, the SM, so it's going to be fun." Q: Charles [Leclerc] was saying that this championship is decided on development and it starts now, do you feel the same, like it's about who can keep up and evolve? "It's going to be execution and consistency and for sure, in terms of team performance, it's going to be development through the year, yeah."

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LEWIS HAMILTON POST QUALIFYING IN AUSTRALIA [P7] | 07.03.26

".. pace was good, and then .. in Q2 we had some problems with the power deployment and then we just got out of sync and when you get out of sync its very very hard to get back in so yeah - given that it was little bit messy, its not the worst. But, it could obviously have been better."

"I dont think we could have matched Mercedes today. Their power unit.... whatever is going on there."

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A SECOND?!!