SHANGHAI, China – Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton put behind a disastrous qualifying session the previous day to finish ninth in the feature race of the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday.
But the 39-year-old British race car driver whose heritage is Grenadian was left fuming because he thought there was damage to his Mercedes W15, such was the understeering he experienced in the cockpit of the car during the race at the Shanghai International Circuit.
Red Bull Racing triple defending champion Max Verstappen of the Netherlands extended his lead at the top of the drivers’ championship with his maiden victory at this Grand Prix, despite the safety car intervening twice in the race.
The Dutchman was able to lead from start to finish with minimal fuss as he moved 25 points clear of teammate Sergio Perez – but McLaren driver Lando Norris of Great Britain capped off an encouraging weekend when he held off Perez for second to fortify his hold on fifth in the standings.
Hamilton started the race on soft tyres, and he was able to rise up the order once they were out of the way, but he felt fellow Briton and teammate George Russell – three places up the road sixth – was in the position where he too, ought to have been looking to finish.
“I thought maybe at the beginning I tapped someone because I have never had so much understeer in my life, so I was turning in at slow speed and waiting, waiting, waiting,” Hamilton said after the race.
“So, I thought I had damaged something like some of the others because there was debris going everywhere at one point, but it was just the set-up that I chose.
“With better decisions on set-up, we would be around where George is, but we just have to keep fighting.”
Hamilton finished second in the sprint race the previous day – having led the first half of the mini race – it was hard for him to swallow his third ninth-place finish of the campaign at a circuit where he has claimed victory a record six times.
“The city is great, and the fans… I saw the fans at my hotel this morning, fans that have been with me for 16 years,” he said. “Then you see them on the track. They’ve been so supportive, it’s really beautiful to see.
“And I’m really happy that we got to come back to Shanghai, the track is awesome, so I can’t wait to come back next year.”
Hamilton is ninth in the drivers’ standings, heading into the next round in Miami, which like China, will be an F1 sprint weekend.
