Lewis Hamilton Starts Sixth in Qatar as Russell Takes Pole

Lewis Hamilton remains confident in his abilities despite a disappointing qualifying performance at the Qatar Grand Prix where he will start Sunday’s race in sixth. Hamilton’s lap was 0.436 seconds slower than his teammate George Russell, who begins the race from pole after Verstappen received a penalty. Despite the setback, Hamilton expressed confidence, saying, “I definitely know I’ve got it still.” This year, Hamilton has struggled to match Russell’s qualifying pace with Russell winning 18 of their 23 qualifying duels.

Hamilton the all-time pole position record holder struggled to explain his performance, admitting, “I’m slow.” Despite feeling good about his car setup, he was still half a second behind Russell. Frustrated, Lewis Hamilton said, “My laps are generally really good,” but still couldn’t match his teammate’s pace. Russell, who qualified second expects a close fight between the top four teams during the race with McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri starting from the second row.

Russell feels McLaren is strong but acknowledges the battle will be intense. He also highlighted that McLaren and Ferrari are on similar pace, adding excitement to the race. McLaren has a chance to clinch the Constructors’ Championship if they finish first and second. Norris, who played a key role in securing Piastri’s sprint win, believes Mercedes will present a strong challenge, although he’s not overly confident. Despite feeling Mercedes is faster, Norris is hopeful for a competitive race.

The race is set to be a thrilling contest with Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes all in the mix.