Dejected Hamilton ‘lost’ during Singapore struggle

Lewis Hamilton has stated he is “lost” after a difficult day of practice around the Marina Bay Circuit.

Hamilton ended the second free practice session from Singapore in 11th place and almost one second down on the pace set by Lando Norris.

The seven-time world champion was heard complaining over his team radio about his car and when told that his qualifying simulation lap left him outside the top 10, he responded: “Yeah mate, it’s unbelievable”.

Hamilton has struggled for pace since the return after the summer break with a run to fifth place marking his best result in the last three races.

Mercedes opted to test various set-up options during the day – none of which made Hamilton happier with his car.

“It’s very difficult, it was a very challenging day,” Hamilton said. “We tried everything set-up-wise and nothing seems to work with the set-up.”

Should overnight fixes fail to be found, Hamilton has predicted that he will fail to advance into the final Q3 session during qualifying on Saturday.

“Definitely very challenging, really giving it everything and then you find out you’re a second off. I think ultimately I’m just a little bit lost and I’m not really sure where to put the car.”

“At the moment, we won’t be going into Q3.”