Lewis Hamilton believes his 2024 Dutch GP is as good as done after a ‘shocking’ qualifying session left the Mercedes driver down in 12th for Sunday’s race.
It was a day to forget for the seven-time world champion, who entered this weekend having won two of the last three races.
However Hamilton will need a mighty effort in Zandvoort if he is to add to that run of form, as he stated that whatever changes he made to the car overnight didn’t pay off.
“Not ideal. It was a difficult session,” Hamilton told select members of the press, including Total-Motorsport.com.
“We made changes overnight and couldn’t see them in FP3, but that was the same for everyone.
“It just went downhill like a domino effect from the moment with Checo, then the balance just got more and more snappy, more and more ‘oversteery’ – it was terrible.”
More from the Singapore GP
Catch up with Total Motorsport's latest Singapore GP coverage, including Max Verstappen's victory at Marina Bay, Ferrari's costly strategy gamble, the full race classification, and the updated 2026 Formula 1 Drivers' and Constructors' Championship standings.
Hamilton made it clear he isn’t holding out hopes of a recovery in Sunday’s race, adding: “It’s definitely very, very frustrating, naturally, but it is what it is. It’s kind of the weekend done and I’ll have to move on to next week [at Monza].”
Hamilton’s Dutch GP weekend gets worse
Hamilton looked to be in the mix for a strong starting spot during the early stages of qualifying, however he couldn’t sustain that pace during Q2.
It wasn’t the only source of frustration for the Mercedes drier, as he was also involved in an alleged impeding incident with Sergio Perez.
“I did absolutely do my best to try and be as far out of the way as possible. It just didn’t work,” Hamilton stated.
Despite Hamilton’s belief that he did all that he could to get out of the way, the stewards disagreed and the Mercedes driver was handed a three-place grid drop for Sunday’s race.
This means that rather than starting 12th, Hamilton will now lineup in 15th.
