Hamilton searching for answers: I don’t feel connected with the car

Lewis Hamilton was left looking for solutions after a P8 Formula 1 qualifying result at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

The Briton was unable to extract the same lap time as teammate George Russell, who qualified in P4 and expressed his hopes of a podium opportunity in Saudi Arabia.

“George did a great job. Great result for him, and he was just able to get the car in a different place,” Hamilton commented to media, including RacingNews365.com.

“I just struggled to extract the performance from the car.”

When asked by RacingNews365.com if he had any specific setup issues with the car, Hamilton responded:

“No, it’s mostly me. And yeah, a little bit in the high-speed [sections] the car is a little bit unstable.

“There’s just one particular thing that I did differently [to Russell], maybe it’ll be okay for tomorrow.”

Hamilton was then asked if he had become frustrated with the general lack of performance in the Mercedes W14.

“No, not really, I wouldn’t say that. The car is where it is,” added Hamilton.

“George did a great job, he’s right up there on the second row, so the car’s obviously got performance.

“I just don’t feel connected to this car. No matter what I do, no matter what I change, I can’t get confidence. I’m just at a bit of a loss with it.”