Hamilton holds hands up after 'unacceptable' qualifying
The 40-year-old seven-time world champion, who was eliminated in first sprint qualifying on Friday when he spun at the chicane, repeated his disappointment as he qualified in a forlorn 16th place for Sunday's race.
Team-mate Charles Leclerc qualified third after Hamilton had exceeded track limits in Q1 and had his best lap deleted.
"It was the same today as it was for the rest of the weekend," said Hamilton.
"We made some changes and the car didn't feel terrible.
"It was tough for us. We had to put on our set of tyres just to try to get through Q1 so it's not great.
"From my side, I made a mistake so I've got to look internally and I've got to apologise to my team because that is just unacceptable to be out in both Q1s. It's a very poor performance from myself.
"I will start from where I am and see what I can do to achieve the best I can with what we have. This season has been a tricky one."
Hamilton has won the Belgian race five times including inheriting victory last year when his then-Mercedes team-mate George Russell was disqualified after winning in an underweight car.
Leclerc was upbeat and surprised to be third on the grid.
"I'm very happy today and it's strange to say that because it's still three-tenths and it's only third place, but I did not expect it,' he said.
"I think we thought we were quite a lot more behind (the McLarens). We knew we had something more in the car and obviously we had the upgrade this weekend, but we still struggled yesterday.
"I had a really good lap and I'm happy with the car. It takes time to maximise the upgrades that we put on the car.2
Hamilton's success last year was the last of his record 105 wins from 368 race starts in arguably the most successful career of all time, but since leaving Mercedes for Ferrari this year he has struggled and has yet to claim his first podium for the Italian team.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Rakyat Post
7 hours ago
- Rakyat Post
The Compct Camera That Costs Almost As Much As A New Car But Fits In Your Pocket
Subscribe to our FREE In an age where everyone's walking around with smartphone cameras that can shoot 4K video and apply Instagram filters in real-time, Japanese tech giant Sony just dropped a compact camera that costs more than most people's monthly salary. The RX1R III, priced at an eye-watering RM20,999, is set to arrive in Malaysia in September – and photography enthusiasts are already lining up their credit cards. To understand why anyone would drop twenty grand on a camera smaller than a hardcover book, you need to know about the cult following that's been brewing since 2015. (Pix: Sony Malaysia) The Picture this: You're wandering through the narrow alleys of George Town or trying to capture candid moments at a night market. A massive camera with a telephoto lens makes you look like a paparazzi stalker. But slip this palm-sized beast out of your jacket pocket, and suddenly you're invisible – just another person with what looks like a point-and-shoot. What Makes This Thing Special? The latest iteration features a 61-megapixel full-frame sensor – the same sensor technology found in much larger, heavier professional cameras. That's like fitting a Ferrari engine into a Mini Cooper. The German ZEISS lens is permanently attached (you can't swap it out), but it's been crafted with the kind of precision that German engineers are famous for. The AI autofocus can track your subject's eyes even when they're not looking at the camera – perfect for those candid shots where people are lost in conversation or staring off into the distance. And here's a neat trick: the 'Step Crop' function lets you switch between 35mm, 50mm, and 70mm focal lengths without actually changing lenses. It's like having three prime lenses in one compact body. (Pix: Sony Malaysia) The Price of Perfection So why does this thing cost more than a decent used car? It's the photography equivalent of a Swiss watch – you're paying for precision engineering, premium materials, and image quality that makes pixel-peepers weep with joy, all packed into a magnesium alloy body built with obsessive Japanese attention to detail. Who buys these? Wedding photographers who need something silent and small, street photographers who want to blend in, travellers who are sick of heavy camera bags, and photography nerds who have a serious gear-buying addiction. The manufacturer tries to ease the guilt by emphasising their It's for people who understand that sometimes the best tool isn't the most practical one – it's the one that disappears in your hands and lets creativity run wild. For the cult following that has been waiting a decade for this update, the RM20,999 price tag is probably already a done deal, especially with the current pre-order sweeteners. Pre-order now until 7 September and receive a 64GB Sony TOUGH Series SD card and an extra battery, or visit Sony stores in September if you prefer the traditional walk-in purchase experience, including at Share your thoughts with us via TRP's . Get more stories like this to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter.
New Straits Times
17 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Ferrari boss confident 'frustrated' Hamilton will bounce back after Hungarian GP
BUDAPEST: Lewis Hamilton received support from his Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur on Sunday just hours after the Briton cut a dejected figure following a lacklustre drive to 12th place in the Hungarian Grand Prix. While team-mate Charles Leclerc proved unable to convert Ferrari's first pole position of the season into victory due to unexplained mechanical problems during the race, seven-time champion Hamilton was battling to escape midfield and finished where he started. As on Saturday, when he was dumped out of Q2 and appeared miserable, claiming he was "completely useless" and saying the team should "bring in another driver", Hamilton seemed utterly deflated. To most observers, it appeared as if the pressures of living up to the hype of his spectacular marquee move from Mercedes, where he won six titles, and adjusting to the culture, car and expectations at Ferrari were overwhelming him. At 40, talk of imminent retirement circled around him. But Vasseur was swift to defend Hamilton, who has always been prone to impulsive heart-on-sleeve reactions. "I don't need to motivate him," said Vasseur. "Honestly, he's frustrated, but not demotivated. "He's demanding, but I think it's also why he's (a) seven-time world champion. I can perfectly understand this situation. "Sometimes, you are making comments on what the driver is saying (in) the car, but if you put the microphone on some other sportsmen, in football and so on, I'm not sure that it would be much better. "Sometimes, just after the race or just after qualifying, you are very disappointed and the first reaction is harsh. I can understand the frustration, but we are all frustrated." Vasseur added Hamilton's weekend appeared worse than it really was because of the tight and competitive times that led him to miss out on reaching Q3 on Saturday. "For sure, when you are a seven-time world champion, your team-mate is on pole position and you are out in Q2, it's a tough situation," he said. "But overall, we can also have a deep look that he was in front of Charles in Q1 and with the first set that he was one-tenth off in Q2. We were not far away from having the two cars out in Q2. "I can understand the frustration from Lewis. That's normal and he will come back. He was stuck in a DRS train, but when he was alone, the pace was good. "I'm sure that he will be back and he will perform." Fourth-placed Leclerc backed his team-mate. "At the end, we are one team and as much as I want to finish in front of Lewis, I want both of us to be successful and for Ferrari to be successful, and obviously this weekend has been a tough one for Lewis," Leclerc said. "But I have no doubt that it's a one-off and I'm sure the second part of the season will be a lot more positive." Hamilton, sixth in the drivers' standings, but without a podium for Ferrari this year, said he was looking forward to a much-needed "break from work" during F1's August holiday before the Dutch Grand Prix on the final weekend of this month.--AFP
The Sun
20 hours ago
- The Sun
De Minaur battles past Tiafoe into Toronto Masters quarter-finals
ALEX de Minaur continued his strong form by defeating Frances Tiafoe 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 to advance to the quarter-finals of the ATP Toronto Masters. The Australian, fresh off his Washington title win, extended his winning streak to seven matches in a gruelling encounter lasting just under two and a half hours. De Minaur, the ninth seed, will next face the winner of the match between Italian Flavio Cobolli and American fourth seed Ben Shelton. Despite the victory, the Australian voiced concerns over the new 12-day Masters schedule, which has disrupted player routines. 'I didn't enjoy having so much time off. The body is used to going and going,' he said. The match saw nearly 50 unforced errors from Tiafoe, with De Minaur overcoming a mid-match slump in the second set. 'It was never gonna be easy. He's got the ability to switch it on whenever he wants,' De Minaur admitted. 'I was just happy to sneak away with this win.' Meanwhile, sixth seed Andrey Rublev secured his 14th Masters quarter-final after Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina retired at 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/2), 3-0 due to possible cramping. Rublev, last year's runner-up in Montreal, will face either Jiri Lehecka or Taylor Fritz next. - AFP
