Lewis Hamilton voices disappointment over 'tough to swallow' Ferrari call

Lewis Hamilton has voiced confusion over being sent out onto the track at the end of Q3 before any of his rivals.

The seven-time champion held the top spot after the initial round of laps in the final segment and looked to be on course for his first pole position in three years.

However, he was denied by a last-gasp effort from Lando Norris, who lifted his upgraded McLaren to first place.

Hamilton took issue with the fact he was the leading car in the train, a call that he admitted took him by surprise.

“I don’t know why we went first, and that was a bit of a shock to me,” Hamilton told media including RacingNews365. 

“I definitely wouldn’t have chosen to go first, but it is what it is. I had a clean out-lap, and when I started my lap, already into Turn 1 I had a snap and I was already a tenth and a half down. 

“It just cascaded from there. So, the last lap was the worst lap of all, and all the other laps were really good. 

“We clearly had the car to be on pole today, and I just didn’t deliver. So that’s tough to swallow.”

Hamilton's day was dealt another dose of disappointment as he was issued a three-place grid penalty for impeding Oscar Piastri.

Despite the challenging day, Hamilton hailed the performance of the SF-26 car, which has consistently run towards the front of the field at recent events.

“The car is just strong all around,” he said.

“The team have done a really great job, and a really big thank you to everyone back at the factory for continuing to push and to bring parts each weekend. We’re continuously innovating and evolving the car. 

“It’s night and day different to the car that we had last year, and I’m grateful to have pushed the car to this point and helped develop the car to this point, that we’re fighting at the front for wins. 

“But it’s awfully close between the top runners, and you need to be perfect ultimately to get that first place.”