Abu Dhabi GP: Hamilton believes McLaren had dominant car
Lewis Hamilton reckons McLaren had a dominant car in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and would have delivered a one-two finish with a trouble-free weekend
Having taken pole at Yas Marina, Hamilton was pulling away at the front of the field when what he reported as a fuel pressure issue forced his retirement on lap 20.
His team-mate Jenson Button finished fourth.
"I think this weekend we had the pace to get a one-two," Hamilton said.
"I'm not really sure what Jenson was struggling with, but we had the strength in the car and the ability this weekend.
"I think in the last four or five races we've had something fail on the car even when we've finished the race. I hope luck will now swing our way."
Hamilton's retirement left the door open for Kimi Raikkonen to win the race for Lotus.
"I was in a really comfortable spot. It wasn't like I had [Sebastian] Vettel or a Red Bull behind me that was massively quick," said Hamilton.
"Kimi drove phenomenally and I'm very, very happy for him, but I was comfortably in the lead and the car was just beautiful to drive."
He added: "I was cruising and I was still pulling away."
Despite losing a likely victory, Hamilton said he would leave Abu Dhabi happy with his performance and the speed his car had displayed.
"It was still a good weekend for me. I really enjoyed it. At the time it felt fantastic in the car. We have a couple of other opportunities. Next time..." he said.
Hamilton stayed around to watch the end of the race, and was surprised to see Vettel get to the podium after starting last.
"Incredible how Sebastian came up from the pitlane," Hamilton said.
"He's got to be the luckiest person in Formula 1."
Share Or Save This Story
Hamilton accepts blame for incident with Albon in F1 Brazilian GP
Ferrari drivers called to F1 stewards over Brazilian GP collision
Will Alonso's Indy failure end the age of versatility?
How Bearman is already securing his Ferrari F1 future
How the Japanese GP Hamilton-Norris battle highlighted a flaw in 2026 F1 rules
Why Ferrari's 'Macarena' F1 wing didn't dance in Suzuka
How every F1 2026 team has performed so far
Lambiase’s move to McLaren makes sense - but Red Bull faces another big hole to fill
McLaren confirms signing of Verstappen's F1 race engineer Lambiase
The political shift that will determine F1's next engine formula
Supercars Christchurch: Allen holds off Kostecki for maiden win
What has changed as FOM and FIA appear more aligned on F1's future?
Ex-F1 race director Wittich defends Masi's decision-making at 2021 Abu Dhabi GP
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments