Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes driver says Las Vegas GP would have been ‘a breeze’ without qualifying mistake | F1 news

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Lewis Hamilton said that “it would have been a breeze” for him to win the Las Vegas Grand Prix had he not made a mistake in qualifying that saw him start from 10th.

The seven-time world champion produced a superb drive to come through the field and finish just seven seconds behind his Mercedes team-mate George Russell, who won from pole position.

Hamilton and Russell were closely matched through the first two parts of qualifying before the former made mistakes on each of his flying laps in Q3 to all but end his hopes of victory in Saturday night’s race.

“If I had done my job yesterday, it would have been a breeze today,” said Hamilton, who is leaving Mercedes at the end of the season to join Ferrari.

“But it’s ok. I had fun coming from 10. The team did a great job.

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Watch how Lewis Hamilton drove a sensational race, starting tenth and then finishing second to team-mate George Russell at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

“We don’t know why we were so quick this weekend, but it’s the best the car has ever felt, so I’m grateful to have helped get it to that point.

“If the car runs like this for the next couple of races, I think we’ll be in a good place to challenge the guys in front.

“The championship is over, so now it’s just out, fight for the best possible positions.”

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Lewis Hamilton says he felt like a kid again when he went from tenth to second at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Russell finally gets ‘throw of fortune’

After taking his second win of the season, Russell admitted to a string of mishaps in recent races where he has been in contention for the win and he expected something to go wrong in Las Vegas.

Russell did not win from pole position in Brazil and Canada, while he took the checkered flag first in Belgium only to later be disqualified because his car was underweight.

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George Russell looks at what went right for the team, which saw the Mercedes driver win in Las Vegas followed by team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

“This season, it just felt like every time we had the tempo, there were just so many curveballs thrown at us,” he said.

“Last week (round) in Brazil, leading – the red flag. Montreal, sun on the pole, the car was fast, rain-dry-rain. Belgium, disqualified.

“And it’s like, when are we going to get just a little bit of fortune? That whole race I was waiting for something to happen and it just never came.”

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Toto Wolff and George Russell discuss where to celebrate Las Vegas GP win!

Despite F1 having an intense triple-header of races to end the season, with the next round in Qatar next weekend, Russell revealed he had changed his travel plans to celebrate in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

He added: “I was planning to fly in a few hours, but I’m definitely not getting on that plane. And I want to enjoy this evening with my whole team.

“It’s been a dream of a weekend. I don’t know how we’ve been so fast, but I’m just riding this wave right now.”

Wolff: Mercedes could have gone even faster

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff revealed that despite the comfortable nature of their one-two finish, his drivers could have gone even faster.

“It feels really nice,” Wolff shared Sky Sports F1.

“Today we really crushed everyone, dominant, we could easily have gone faster, at times two seconds faster than everyone else.”

Since winning three of four races before the sport’s summer break, Mercedes have struggled and fallen away from the battle at the top between McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull.

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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff revealed how his team finished first and second at the Las Vegas GP.

When the W15 performs, it has been able to beat the other front-running teams, but a small operating window has too often hampered them.

Wolff insisted that the team understood why they were so fast in the cold evening conditions in Las Vegas, and dismissed the idea that their amazing speed was something of a fluke.

“We do (understand),” he said. “It’s just when you design a car and you put it on the track that you try to have it good at every track and we seem to be very good when it’s high speed and when it’s a little to the cooler side with less grip.

“And that’s something we can be proud of. But when it gets hot, that’s when the car doesn’t perform as well.”

Wolff paid tribute to both his drivers and highlighted a crucial early sequence as Russell fended off the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc.

He said: “George’s driving was just from another planet. He kept it under control and managed it all the time. I think the defense against Leclerc was spectacular.

“And Lewis came from P10 with a super strong car finishing just five seconds (sic) behind George. Chapeau.”

Formula 1’s season-ending triple-header continues next weekend with the Qatar Grand Prix, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream the last two F1 races and more with a NU Sports Month membership – No contract, cancel anytime