Qatar GP: Struggling Lewis Hamilton says he ‘still got it’

Lewis Hamilton believes he “still has it” despite struggling to match Mercedes team-mate George Russell in another qualifying session on Saturday at the Qatar Grand Prix.

The seven-time champion has not qualified in the top five on the grid since the Singapore Grand Prix in September and has been beaten by Russell 23-6 in this year’s qualifying and sprint sessions.

After taking seventh place in the sprint qualifying on Friday, Hamilton admitted that “I’m definitely not fast anymore,” prompting speculation that he had lost some self-confidence.

In Saturday’s qualifying session for the full grand prix he improved to sixth on the grid, but had a slightly larger gap to teammate Russell of 0.491 seconds.

“I mean I’m slow, I’m half a second behind my teammate in the same car,” he said on Saturday.

But when Hamilton was told that his performance in the Las Vegas race, in which he went from 10th on the grid to finishing second, was proof he was still competitive, he said: “Yes, I know I still have it.” .

“The car just won’t go any faster right now. I definitely know I still have it. It’s not a question in my mind. I’m looking forward to the end (of the season).”

Hamilton will leave Mercedes for Ferrari at the end of this season in one of the biggest driver changes in Formula 1 history.

He will be a teammate of Charles Leclerc in 2025, who has been a mainstay at Ferrari since 2019.

The two drivers found themselves competing for position in Saturday’s sprint race, with Leclerc winning after a close battle in Turns 1 and 2.

“It was good, it was fair. Nice and close,” Hamilton said of the battle. “I didn’t defend, I should have defended but I didn’t.

“He was a little faster than me and he’ll probably make it anyway. If I’m in the same position tomorrow, I’ll put up a bigger fight, for sure.”