‘I really struggled’ – Hamilton reflects on ‘horrendous weekend’ in Las Vegas

Lewis Hamilton summarised his weekend at the Las Vegas Grand Prix as “horrendous”, with the seven-time World Champion admitting that he “really struggled” in a race that saw him cross the line in P10, a result that later became P8 following the disqualification of both McLarens.

The event had already proven tough for Hamilton on Saturday after he ended a difficult Qualifying session at the very back of the field, marking the first time that the Briton has been the slowest on outright pace in his F1 career.

While he gained positions during the Grand Prix, Hamilton had to settle for 10th at the line – now eighth amid the aforementioned disqualifications of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri – and gave a downbeat assessment of his weekend afterwards.

Asked if he had felt pleased with the pace of the car during the early stages of the race, the 40-year-old answered: “No, I really struggled.

“After the start, I struggled with balance. I was just really struggling with the brakes that we have – locking the fronts, locking the rears, there was just no in-between, no middle ground.

“I was catching [Nico] Hulkenberg but had the slowest pace, so I wasn't really particularly quick. Then I got some damage with the Williams [of Alex Albon], and everything changed after that."

In terms of his reflections on the weekend overall, Hamilton added: “Horrendous weekend. Another one just to add to the list."

The British driver will be hoping for better when the season-ending triple header sequence continues with Qatar (November 28-30) and Abu Dhabi (December 5-7).