Hamilton admits continous penalites is 'tough to swallow'

After being found to have impeded Oscar Piastri, Hamilton went from P2 to P5. Despite saying yesterday that it was “difficult to hang on to that positivity”, Hamilton was positive during the drivers' parade, saying, “We have a good car. The team have done a great job to continue to develop this car. And it's an amazing track. It's very hot today, so it's going to be a massive challenge. But yes, a new day, new opportunities.“

The Ferrari driver starts from fifth, but his main competitor, Kimi Antonelli, will start from seventh. As it stands, Hamilton is second in the World Drivers' Championship and only 45 points behind the Italian.

Speaking about whether a win is possible, he said, “I hope so. It's very difficult to overtake here, so strategy is going to be difficult here. It's quite gusty today as well. But I mean, yesterday was it was difficult.”

About his frustrations yesterday, Hamilton added, “Forgive me for my attitude after the race because I had done such a great session, and then I got a call right at the last minute. So to then know I was going to get a penalty, it was tough to swallow, but it is what it is. You move forward, and I'll give it absolutely everything I can. For the team today.”

Ferrari seems to be in a good position with Charles Leclerc starting on the front row beside Lando Norris. Leclerc qualified third but was promoted to second after Hamilton received a grid penalty.

Antonelli was also the recipient of a grid penalty, dropping three places as well. This was due to a yellow flag infringement.

Kimi Antonelli leads the Drivers' Championship by 45 points, but will start 7th after a three-place grid penalty for violating a yellow flag. He explained that Max Verstappen's spin forced him to lift off the throttle to the apex and that, without the yellow flag, he would have been P3, although still 0.7-0.8 seconds off pole position. Mercedes didn't show their best pace, and neither Antonelli nor George Russell topped the practice session.

Regarding Ferrari and McLaren, he noted that they expected them to be strong due to their upgrades: a new rear wing for Ferrari and a new floor for McLaren, while Mercedes hasn't added any downforce for some time. He admitted that they "lost" in Q2, especially with the tyre window, and then it was difficult to extract the maximum in Q3 with a major car change.

Despite the penalty, Antonelli is confident of a comeback: he believes the race pace is better than the single-lap pace, anticipates significant tyre degradation and hot, gusty conditions, and will aim to maximise the result for the team, himself, and the fans.