Lewis Hamilton was left disappointed after a "difficult" Austrian Grand Prix Formula 1 Qualifying session for Mercedes. The seven-time F1 World Champion's best time was nearly half a second off Verstappen's pole lap and only good enough for fifth behind McLaren's Lando Norris, while teammate George Russell dropped out in Q2 after a lap time deletion. The Mercedes driver was downbeat after the session after it appeared that Ferrari had made a significant step with its latest car upgrades, along with McLaren . "It was a very difficult session. Not an easy circuit for our car in general," said Hamilton. "In the past, it [the car] has never really suited the circuit and it shows again today. So a really tough session, but got through it. "It's not P1, but I'll take it and I'll try to work with it."
Hamilton: Mercedes behind Ferrari
Despite showing promising pace in the sole practice session for this weekend with his runs on the Hard tyre, Hamilton still thinks Mercedes is behind Ferrari in race trim. "I think our race pace was possibly around the third fastest; the Red Bulls and the Ferraris are quickest," he said. "We're just trying to focus on ourselves at the moment, just trying to get around as quick as we can today."
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