'I'll take it' - Lewis Hamilton satisfied with P5 at Austrian GP but eyes Mercedes improvement on Sprint Saturday
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Published 01/07/2023 at 09:02 GMT
Mercedes had an "underwhelming" qualifying session in Austria on Friday, according to team principal Toto Wolff, with Lewis Hamilton taking P5 and George Russell down in P11. Hamilton says was satisfied with his outcome but hopes to see an improvement on Saturday, when there will be a Sprint qualifying session and race. Mercedes have struggled to compete with runaway leaders Red Bull in 2023.
Verstappen 'put the lap in when it mattered' to secure Austrian GP pole
Lewis Hamilton is eyeing an improved performance in Sprint qualifying at the Austrian Grand Prix after a Friday session described by Mercedes boss Toto Wolff as “underwhelming.”
Seven-time world champion Hamilton will line up fifth on the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix, behind Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris.
His team-mate George Russell suffered elimination in Q2 and will start in 11th, but Hamilton hopes that Saturday’s Sprint qualifying and race will see improvements from the Mercedes pair.
"It's not P1 but I'll take it and try and work with it," Hamilton said.
"I think our race pace was possibly around third fastest. I think the Red Bulls and Ferraris are quickest, and maybe the Astons, so maybe we're fourth.
"I'm not quite sure exactly, we were just trying to focus on getting round as quick as we could today.
“It was a very difficult session, not an easy circuit. Our car in general in the past has not really suited this circuit and it showed it again today.
"We will see if we can do better in Sprint qualifying, depending on the weather and temperatures.”
Hamilton sits fourth in the Drivers Championship standings this season, 93 points behind runaway leader Verstappen.
He is eyeing a third consecutive podium place in Austria, but Wolff was unimpressed with Friday’s outcome.
"Overall [it was] underwhelming," Wolff told Sky Sports.
"We came with expectations that we would be fighting for P2 or P3, with the Ferraris and Aston Martins, and we underperformed."
He added: "You see that the time gaps are not huge. You’re talking two tenths up and down and it makes a big difference.
"We are bringing something to Silverstone and hopefully it has the impact that McLaren and Ferrari had [with their upgrades] today."
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