Lewis Hamilton says he ‘needs to do a better job’ at this weekend’s upcoming Austrian Grand Prix after losing ground in the Formula 1 World Championship title fight to Nico Rosberg in Azerbaijan.
Problems with the configuration settings on his Mercedes W07 neutered Hamilton’s efforts during the Baku race, though a crash in qualifying had already compromised him into a necessary fight back from tenth position on the grid. Finishing fifth as Rosberg went on to win comfortably, Hamilton admits he needs to ‘get back on it’ in qualifying to spur his chances at the Red Bull Ring, where he has trailed his team-mate the last two years.
“Baku started out great but, clearly, it just wasn’t meant to be that weekend. It’s a shame I wasn’t really in the race – but there’s no point talking about ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’. It’s one to put behind me, take the positives in terms points on the board and move on.
“We’ve got an old school track there in Spielberg. It’s fast, with a good flow to it. It’s tough to overtake but there are places you can try something different so that’s a good challenge. It’s definitely a big advantage starting up front there, though, so I need to get back on it in qualifying and do a better job than last time out.”
