By Alan Baldwin
DOHA (Reuters) – Lewis Hamilton said he knew he had ‘still got it’ despite qualifying sixth and nearly half a second slower than Mercedes team mate George Russell for Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix.
The seven-times Formula One world champion, who will be 40 next year when he moves to Ferrari, had said after qualifying seventh for the sprint at Lusail on Friday that he was “definitely not fast any more”.
He repeated that verdict to reporters after the main qualifying session, with Russell on the front row, but in a slightly more positive way.
“I know I’ve still got it,” he said. “It’s just the car won’t go any faster, I definitely know I’ve got it. It’s not a question in my mind. Looking forward to the end (of the season).”
The most successful driver in the history of the sport with a record 105 wins has triumphed twice this season but Russell, second on the grid in Qatar behind four-times champion Max Verstappen, has out-qualified him 18-5.
“I’m slow,” said Hamilton. “About half a second off my team-mate in the same car.
“It’s been all year,” he added, saying he did not know why that was.
“It’s not possible to change it right now.”
The season ends in Abu Dhabi on Dec. 8, with Hamilton contracted to Mercedes until the end of the year and facing sponsor commitments before he can start at Maranello.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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