Lewis Hamilton suffered a difficult qualifying session for the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort and will start in a lowly 12th place.
The Mercedes driver was slightly slower than the top 10 cars in Q2, only missing out on advancing to the final part of qualifying by just over a tenth.
Wind was a prevalent factor on Saturday afternoon at Zandvoort, a circuit very close to the North Sea, and it may have affected Hamilton when it counted.
Williams team principal James Vowles thinks the British driver may have been troubled by the wind, which greatly affects modern Formula 1 cars.
James Vowles thinks Lewis Hamilton was caught out by the wind
Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team W15 on track during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Netherl…
Williams enjoyed a superb session with Alex Albon, who broke into Q3 and qualified in eighth place. In the top 10 shootout, Albon set a quicker time than Lance Stroll and Pierre Gasly.
The Thai driver benefitted from Hamilton’s struggles and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz who also failed to make the top 10 and will start Sunday’s race in 11th place.
This will make the Dutch Grand Prix a real challenge for the duo of drivers starting on the fringes of the top 10 on a circuit where it is notoriously difficult to overtake.
Zandvoort is very narrow, and there will likely be minimal overtaking opportunities over the 72-lap race for Hamilton and Sainz to recover.
Hamilton was also caught up in an incident in the second part of qualifying. He may have impeded Red Bull driver Sergio Perez who had to use another set of tyres.
James Vowles believes the wind was a vital factor in qualifying for the Dutch Grand Prix, as Williams benefit from an upgrade.
He told Sky Sports F1: “We see we’ve had an upgrade here again this weekend that looked to be working quite well, and that’s moved us back forward.
“Then there’s an element of wind there as well. The wind is gusting, which means if you get it at a bad moment, and I think Lewis did, I overheard Ant [Davidson, Sky pundit] talking about it there, it will make it a very difficult corner for balance.”
Lewis Hamilton has not taken victory at Zandvoort
Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton drives during the qualifying session at The Circuit Zandvoort, western Netherlands, on August 24, 2024, ahe…
Hamilton drove brilliantly during the final few races before the summer break, taking an emotional victory at his home race at the British Grand Prix.
He also won the Belgian Grand Prix after his teammate George Russell was disqualified which was a sizeable upturn in form after the start of the year.
The seven-time world champion has also struggled at Zandvoort by his lofty standards since the circuit returned in 2021.
He hasn’t taken victory at the Dutch Grand Prix in three attempts and will have a very difficult task to stand on the podium at the end of Sunday’s race.
Hamilton finished second in the first year before two lacklustre results, finishing in fourth and sixth place over the next two seasons.