'Won’t be going into Q3' - Lewis Hamilton's candid response after 'nightmares' in Singapore GP practice sessions

Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton admitted that he felt "lost" after enduring a challenging day of practice at the Marina Bay Circuit in Singapore. The second free practice session (FP2) saw Hamilton finish 11th, lagging nearly one second behind pace-setter Lando Norris. The session marked a continuation of his recent struggles.

Hamilton expressed his frustration over the team radio during the session. After being informed that his best lap in the qualifying simulation left him outside the top 10, Hamilton’s disappointment was clear when he replied, "Yeah mate, it's unbelievable." The struggle for pace has become an ongoing theme for the Mercedes driver, with his best result in the last three races being a fifth-place finish.

Mercedes spent the day experimenting with various car setups, hoping to find a solution to Hamilton's discomfort on the track. However, despite testing different configurations, the car’s performance did not improve to his liking. Speaking after the session, Hamilton shared, "It’s very difficult, it was a very challenging day. We tried everything set-up-wise and nothing seems to work with the set-up."

Lewis Hamilton makes a candid Qualifying prediction 

The lack of pace has raised concerns for Lewis Hamilton as he looks ahead to qualifying on Saturday. If his team cannot find overnight fixes, Hamilton himself predicted that reaching the final Q3 session during qualifying could be out of reach. 

“Definitely very challenging,” Hamilton said, adding that he had given everything but remained a second off the pace. He acknowledged his frustration, stating, “Definitely very challenging, really giving it everything and then you find out you’re a second off. I think ultimately, I'm just a little bit lost and I’m not really sure where to put the car. At the moment, we won’t be going into Q3.”

Notably, Hamilton's current struggles mark a difficult phase in the season, with no immediate solutions in sight. Whether Mercedes can resolve the issues in time for a better qualifying performance remains to be seen, but as it stands, Hamilton faces an uphill battle on the streets of Singapore.