Hamilton "just didn't have the grip" to take first 2022 F1 pole
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton says he "just didn't have the grip" on the final lap of Singapore Grand Prix qualifying to take his first Formula 1 pole of 2022.
Mercedes has largely struggled in 2022 but was hopeful of a stronger result on Singapore's twisty street circuit, and with qualifying held in wet-to-dry conditions it afforded the Brackley team a chance to shine.
And while teammate George Russell could only managed P11 after reporting an issue, Hamilton set the fastest lap early on in Q3 and looked set to battle for pole.
But with the track conditions improving rapidly, the final lap would prove crucial and after a flurry of late improvements Hamilton had to settle for third, just 0.054s behind Ferrari's polesitter Charles Leclerc and 0.032s behind Red Bull's Sergio Perez.
Afterwards Hamilton felt he had a shot at pole with a perfect final lap but said he "just didn't have the grip" to take it.
"I was pushing so hard, it was so, so close. It was trying so hard," he said. "These guys are always so quick, but I really thought maybe with a perfect lap, which was really hard to get, that we could be fighting for first place.
"I just didn't have the grip in the last lap but nonetheless, I'm grateful to be on the second row. And I'm grateful to the team for continuing to push and we just keep our head down, hopefully tomorrow will be a better day."
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG, waves from Parc Ferme after Qualifying
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
While Hamilton was pleased to see Mercedes performed much stronger than in the preceding Italian Grand Prix, he was still frustrated to lose out by a tiny margin.
"We didn't know how close we would be this weekend," he explained. We knew that the car will be stronger than it was in Monza, but we didn't know how close it would be.
"But to lose out by just that bit...it was just okay. We will just get up and fight again tomorrow."
After qualifying Mercedes was summoned by the FIA stewards over filing an inaccurate scrutineering form on Hamilton's car.
Earlier on Saturday the seven-time world champion had also been summoned himself for a potential breach of F1's jewellery ban.
Mercedes summoned over inaccurate F1 scrutineering form
Verstappen: Running out of fuel in F1 Singapore GP qualifying "shouldn't happen"
Why Albon won't be "throwing around laptops" to gain a 2023 F1 edge
OPINION: At the Williams 2023 Formula 1 season launch, Alex Albon’s easy-going nature was again a point of focus. But does being “too nice” really matter in modern F1? Albon’s own expressions put that in an intriguing new light
Why Alfa Romeo has kept its blade roll hoop on 2023 F1 car
The Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team has retained its unique blade roll hoop for the C43 but designed it to withstand load tests that the FIA will introduce in 2024.
Daly to attempt 2023 Daytona 500 with The Money Team
IndyCar driver Conor Daly has announced plans to enter the 2023 Daytona 500 with The Money Team, making his superspeedway debut in NASCAR Cup.
Fenestraz risked 'finishing on three wheels' with Diriyah FE pass on Mortara
Sacha Fenestraz reckoned he took a "big risk" in passing Edoardo Mortara late on in the second Diriyah E-Prix, which secured eighth for the Nissan driver's first Formula E points.
Why Albon won't be "throwing around laptops" to gain a 2023 F1 edge
OPINION: At the Williams 2023 Formula 1 season launch, Alex Albon’s easy-going nature was again a point of focus. But does being “too nice” really matter in modern F1? Albon’s own expressions put that in an intriguing new light
How the last Sauber-built Alfa offers F1 2023 evolution clues
Alfa Romeo has become the first Formula 1 team to reveal a new car for 2023, in addition to a fresh livery. This offered a first look at some of the understated changes produced by the revised regulations, along with points of convergence in the second year of the ground effect rules
The pioneering F1 car that preceded Lotus’s terminal decline
In the hands of Ayrton Senna the actively suspended 99T would be the last F1 race-winning Lotus but, as STUART CODLING reveals, it was a complicated machine that caused more problems than it solved
How Tyrrell became a racing Rubik’s cube as it faded out of F1
Formula 1’s transformation into a global sport meant the gradual extinction for a small team determined to stay true to its low-budget roots. But Tyrrell would eventually be reborn as a world-beating outfit again, explains MAURICE HAMILTON, albeit in different colours…
Assessing Hamilton's remarkable decade as a Mercedes F1 driver
Many doubted Lewis Hamilton’s move from McLaren to Mercedes for the 2013 Formula 1 season. But the journey he’s been on since has taken the Briton to new heights - and to a further six world championship titles
Why new look Haas is a litmus test for Formula 1’s new era
OPINION: With teams outside the top three having struggled in Formula 1 in recent seasons, the rules changes introduced in 2022 should have more of an impact this season. How well Haas does, as the poster child for the kind of team that F1 wanted to be able to challenge at the front, is crucial
The Mercedes F1 pressure changes under 10 years of Toto Wolff
OPINION: Although the central building blocks for Mercedes’ recent, long-lasting Formula 1 success were installed before he joined the team, Toto Wolff has been instrumental in ensuring it maximised its finally-realised potential after years of underachievement. The 10-year anniversary of Wolff joining Mercedes marks the perfect time to assess his work
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
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.