Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have found themselves under investigation for alleged violations during the sprint shootout on Saturday afternoon.
Despite securing the third starting position for Sunday’s race, the seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton, expressed disappointment with his performance during qualifying on Friday.
Speaking with Sky Sports F1, he shared his thoughts, saying, “Not massively satisfied.
“It’s just great for the team to be on the first two rows.
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“Difficult at the beginning of the session, tricky conditions out there with the wind.
“Ultimately, a pretty average session for me.
“I’m going to give it everything and try and bag those points.
“It’s great we are ahead of the Ferraris, which is key.”
However, Hamilton’s frustration was compounded as news of a post-session investigation into his track limits violation surfaced.
This was not the only instance of Hamilton facing track limits issues, as he had lost a lap time in SQ2 earlier in the day.
Joining Hamilton and Russell in the investigation spotlight were six other drivers who were flagged for track limits violations in the first part of the sprint shootout qualifying session.
This included drivers from both Williams and AlphaTauri teams, with Lance Stroll and Pierre Gasly also falling foul of the regulations.
The persistent track limits challenges at the Qatar Grand Prix prompted changes to the kerbs overnight after Friday’s running proved to be problematic.
Hamilton’s struggles continued as he faced a second visit to the stewards in as many days after a maximum lap time violation in Friday’s qualifying session.
Despite the difficulties faced by Hamilton, Mercedes had reason to be hopeful as George Russell offered a more positive outlook ahead of the Grand Prix.
Russell remarked, “We went out in qualifying, and the lap times were just immense compared to this morning. I’m really happy with P3 (P2).
“I think we did a bit better than expected.
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“The McLarens look quick.
“We know Red Bull and Max are in a league of their own.
“Our fight is with Ferrari, and we need to be consistent.”