Lewis Hamilton's Spanish Grand Prix qualifying was affected by a battery pr...
BARCELONA - Lewis Hamilton’s Spanish Grand Prix qualifying was affected by a battery problem, Mercedes principal Toto Wolff said on Saturday after the reigning champion lost out to team mate Valtteri Bottas in the battle for pole position.
Formula One F1 - Spanish Grand Prix - Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain - May 11, 2019 Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton after qualifying REUTERS/Jon Nazca Championship leader Bottas beat the Briton, who had been on pole at the Circuit de Catalunya for the past three seasons, by a hefty 0.634 seconds. “In Q2 on the second lap, there was a yellow and he aborted the lap and pitted,” explained the Austrian. “Normally you need the cool down lap to recharge the battery, that’s why he ended up in the garage with a battery that wasn’t full.” Wolff said Hamilton was then sent out early in the final phase, which put him on “the wrong foot” because he came across other slower cars who had just left the pits when it came to doing his flying lap.Hamilton told reporters he had just not done very good laps, although he was still quick enough to secure a Mercedes front-row lockout for Sunday’s race. Mercedes have had one-two finishes in the first four races of the season and look likely to make it five, providing they avoid any coming together. Bottas is a point ahead of Hamilton in the championship, thanks to a fastest lap in Australia, and the Briton said after the previous race in Azerbaijan that he had been too nice to the Finn on track. In 2016, a dominant season for Mercedes with Hamilton fighting an ultimately losing battle with then team mate Nico Rosberg for the title, the two Silver Arrows collided on the opening lap in Spain and retired.“Everybody knows that lap one is very important and in Barcelona can be race-deciding,” he said. “But the two have been so respectful with each other, on and off track, that we are in a very different place than we were in 2016. “We completely acknowledge there is rivalry between the two of them, and that will intensify the longer the championship goes if it is between them,” he added.Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ed Osmond
Trending
A gorgeous April afternoon in store across the Denver metro area 
‘Artemis Mission Cannot Lead To Interplanetary Wild West,’ Astronomer Warns 
Trump says US forces will ‘finish the job’ soon in first prime-time speech since starting Iran war 
Former Wisconsin football player, who left the sport amid mental health struggles, dead at 24 
Drew McIntyre Gives Honest Take About His Recent WWE Title Reign 
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders introduces bill that could keep the Padres in San Diego United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
How is Brexit affecting FDI into Britain?Foreign investment remains strong, but it would be stronger still were Britain not leaving the EU
Read more »
Electra Meccanica's Tiny Electric Trike Qualifies For $900 California RebateElectra Meccanica's Solo three-wheeled electric vehicle will qualify for California's CVRP rebate. It will be worth $900 towards the $15,000 trike.
Read more »
Trump heads to disaster-affected Florida, but no funding deal reachedNearly seven months after he first toured the damage wrought by the Category 5 hurricane that struck this area of the Florida Panhandle, President Trump is returning. But he won't be heralding millions of dollars in disaster relief funding for the area.
Read more »
Trump knocks Democrats while visiting disaster-affected FloridaPresident Donald Trump on Wednesday attacked Democrats over funding for disaster relief and the Mueller report in comments to a crowd in Panama City Beach, Florida.
Read more »
How is Brexit affecting FDI into Britain?The Brexit vote has caused a 12% rise in investment by British firms in the rest of the EU, according to the LSE. That capital could have been used at home
Read more »
Pentagon deploying Patriot battery to Middle East to further deter Iranian threatJUST IN: The U.S. military is deploying a Patriot anti-missile battery to the Middle East to further deter threats from Iran, the Pentagon announced on Friday.
Read more »
How Higher Tariffs Affect Different IndustriesThe increased tariffs enacted by the U.S. on products coming from China raise the costs for many American companies. Here’s a look at the affected industries.
Read more »
China worries about how study in Taiwan might affect its studentsFor all China’s precautions, some Chinese students do come round to Taiwan’s political way of thinking
Read more »