Lewis Hamilton said his chances of winning the Las Vegas Grand Prix are non-existent after qualifying tenth on the grid for tomorrow’s race.

The Mercedes driver was the fastest in the two practice sessions for the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Thursday and led the times again in Q2. But he suffered a poor end to the session, making mistakes at Turn 12 on his first run and Turn Two on his second run, leaving him a lowly 10th on the grid.

“It didn’t work when it counted,” Hamilton admitted after the session. “I tried, but it didn’t work.”

“I should have been on pole,” he told the official F1 channel. But at least I have speed, which is a good performance over the weekend, that’s the positive we can take away.”

His teammate George Russell claimed pole position for the third time this year. But Hamilton does not believe he can compete for victory from the fifth row of the grid.

“Not really, I think the race is a bit over,” he said. “It is clear that victory is out of the question.

“But just great work from George.”

Advertisement | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said it was not immediately clear what had gone wrong for Hamilton. “He was fastest in Q2, the car was good, we have to analyze what it was,” he said.

The team is surprised by his performance in Las Vegas. “Our car only comes to life when there is little grip and it is cold,” said Wolff.

“With our car we get feedback from the drivers that it feels good. And you hear many more complaints from other cars about a lack of grip.

“Next year we just have to have a car that can function on all kinds of circuits. But let’s see what we can do tomorrow.”

Russell will start alongside Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jnr with Charles Leclerc fourth. Wolff is alert to the threat posed by the two SF-24s.

“Leclerc was the fastest on a long run yesterday,” he said. “I think it’s about really making sure the tires don’t grain and then moving on. I think any of the top teams can win tomorrow.”

Advertisement | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024

Browse all articles about the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix