Lewis Hamilton was left to rue a missed opportunity at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, watching on as teammate George Russell claimed the winner’s trophy in Nevada.
He missed out on victory by a margin of just seven seconds, despite starting nine positions lower than Russell on Saturday night.
A dismal qualifying saw him line up 10th for the race, but his blistering pace saw him carve through the field with ease and help deliver a stunning one-two for Mercedes.
It looked like Hamilton might have been able to attack Russell in the closing stages, but he had saved just enough to maintain a gap and close out the win.
Peter Windsor says Lewis Hamilton suffered Q3 ‘calamity’
Just before climbing onto the podium at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Hamilton appeared frustrated that he didn’t qualify better.
With the sort of pace that he had, it’s pretty clear that he could have won the race, having lost far more than seven seconds in traffic and dirty air.
He flew past the likes of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris with ease – cars he has spent the majority of the season looking at the back of.
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Speaking to Cameron Cc:’s YouTube channel, Peter Windsor mentioned how important Hamilton’s qualifying mistake was in reality.
“I think he’s still in a state of shock as to what happened in Q3. I can’t overstate really, the enormity of the calamity that Lewis had there.
“It was just unbelievable that in a car that good, that was quite capable of winning the grand prix with him, and that George put on the pole, that Lewis wasn’t at least on the front row of the grid. It’s astonishing.”
Will Hamilton get a fairy tale Mercedes farewell?
Hamilton has just two races left at the upcoming Qatar Grand Prix and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix before he bids farewell to the Silver Arrows for good.
An 11-year partnership will come to an end, and he will be desperate to end it on a high note with a victory.
The condition in Vegas suited their car more than either of the two desert races left will, so it was a huge missed opportunity.
READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton sends clear message to Kimi Antonelli ahead of his debut Mercedes season
McLaren and Ferrari come alive in the warmer conditions and Mercedes have simply struggled in those climates for a while now.
In other words, the seven-time champion is going to need a lot of luck if he is to leave his team with a victory as a parting gift.
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