Hamilton: The fifth result is never particularly pleasant

Mercedes drivers will start Sunday’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix from the third row and are somewhat disappointed by these results, but are hoping that the pace the W14 is capable of in the long series of laps will allow them to challenge for higher positions .

Lewis Hamilton (5th): “The fifth result is never particularly pleasant. However, I did everything I could and I hope we can do better in the race. There were signs that the car could run a good pace, but it looked like we were about two tenths behind the leaders.

We made a number of changes to the settings for qualifying and it seems that driving has become a little more enjoyable. Overall, however, the car was not particularly fast. At the same time, it must be emphasized that the circumstances and circumstances that accompanied the end of the last session threw us back even further. However, it is difficult to say what position we could have been in if this had not been the case.

If we talk about the remaining days of the weekend, I think we will have to fight for good results. It will be important to avoid overheating the brakes and find the right approach to the tires, which need to be protected, but if there is an opportunity to use tactics to find our way forward, we will do so.”

George Russell (6th): “Absolutely crazy weather! I have never seen conditions change so radically in one last session. The last attempt was very frustrating as the car was sliding around the track and there was no grip at all.

I didn’t see any heavy rain and there were no drops on the visor, but the pace dropped by a whole second and I already wanted to go to the pits for new tires, because I was sure I would be the last one. Despite this, we finished qualifying in sixth place, although I had a lot to worry about during the lap.

However, this is not such a bad starting position. The team has done a great job and the car makes a good impression. We also know that race pace at this circuit is more important than lap speed and we will continue to strive for a podium finish.

The Aston Martin drivers were fast today and will start ahead of us on Sunday, but I hope we can pass them in the long series of laps. I foresee that there will be a lot of pit stops during the Grand Prix, so we have something to fight for. Let’s see what results we can achieve in the remaining days of the weekend.”