Hamilton makes no excuses for Q3 exit: 'I was just slow'

©Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton says a lack of pace and confidence were mainly to blame for his early exit from Dutch Grand Prix qualifying, the Mercedes driver missing the top-ten shootout and concluding his day P13.

While conditions improved in the second part of the wet-to-dry session, grip was still at a premium in Q2. But Hamilton rejected the tricky conditions as the root cause for his early demise.

The Briton's flyers were also impeded by Yuki Tsunoda and Lance Stroll who were both summoned to the Stewards' office after the session to answer for their presence on the Mercedes charger's trajectory.

But ultimately, Hamilton reckoned that he simply hadn't been fast enough to make the final Q3 cut.

2023 Dutch Grand Prix - Qualifying results

"There was obviously a lot of people in the way, but generally we were just slow out there," he conceded. "I was just too slow today".

Hamilton had ended Friday's running with a positive sentiment towards qualifying but admitted that he had lost a bit of confidence overnight as he struggled with his car's balance on Saturday, a deficiency perhaps exacerbated by the difficult conditions.

The seven-time world champion's session was certainly in stark contrast to George Russell's run to P3 in Q3.

"Since FP1, I've lost some confidence in the car and that made qualifying tricky," he explained.

"It was tough to get the tyres into the working window, I struggled with the balance and overall grip, and George also did a few different settings that seemed to work better.

"But we know that the car operates in a narrow window, and these things can happen when you are in that situation.

"On the final run, I did two consecutive laps and the tyres overheated on the second one, so I couldn't improve the time.

"Tomorrow is a new challenge; hopefully the car will be a bit better on full tanks, and we can make some forward progress. This isn't an easy circuit for doing that - but that will be the goal."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.