Lewis Hamilton says he has “still got it” after a disappointing qualifying performance at the Qatar Grand Prix.
Hamilton starts Sunday’s race sixth after setting a lap 0.436 seconds slower than team-mate George Russell, who starts from pole.
Russell qualified second to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen but was promoted as the Dutchman received a one-place penalty for driving too slowly and impeding the Mercedes.
“Just the car won’t go any faster,” Hamilton said. “I definitely know I’ve got it still. It’s not a question in my mind.”
Hamilton, the all-time Formula 1 record holder for pole positions, has now been beaten 18-5 by Russell in grand prix qualifying sessions this year.
The figure is 22-6 if all six qualifying sessions for sprint events are included.
Hamilton was at a loss to explain why he is struggling to match Russell this year over one lap.
“I’m slow,” he said. “I’m half a second off my team-mate in the same car.
“It wasn’t a tricky session. My laps were pretty decent, just half a second off.
“I set my car up a little bit different today and honestly the car felt great. It is the first time we have made a set-up change and the car felt good.
“My laps are generally really good and I come across the line and that’s half a second down.”
He added: “[I’m] looking forward to the end [of the season].”
Hamilton’s remarks come a day after he said following qualifying for the sprint event in Qatar that he was “definitely not fast any more”.
Hamilton is leaving Mercedes at the end of 2024, after 12 years with the team, to move to Ferrari.
Russell said he expected a close fight between the top four teams in the grand prix, which starts at 16:00 GMT.
The McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who won the sprint event in Qatar, locked out the second row. Hamilton in sixth is sandwiched between the Ferraris of his future team-mate Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
Russell said: “It’s going to be exciting. It’s going to be a really close fight between all four teams. Ferrari looked on the same pace as Lando and myself this morning.
“McLaren have more options on the strategy with two cars but their race is with Ferrari not us and Max. It is an amazing circuit and I just can’t wait to go racing.”
McLaren can clinch the constructors’ championship for the first time since 1998 if they finish first and second with the point for fastest lap.
Piastri won the sprint race on Saturday after Norris handed him the win on the run to the line.
Norris had controlled the pack throughout the event to ensure Piastri had the advantage of use of the DRS overtaking aid to keep him just far enough ahead of Russell to prevent the Mercedes from passing.
Norris said: “I’m not that confident [for the grand prix]. George was quicker than us in the sprint race, we are not as quick as the Mercedes which will make our life very difficult tomorrow.
“I don’t expect anything special. I think the clean air that I had earlier today [in the sprint] made us look probably a bit better than we were.
“I don’t think we’ve necessarily been the quickest to be honest this weekend. I think Mercedes have.
“So expecting a tough battle and excited to see what we can do. I would like to give the guys ahead a little battle and of course go forward. Our target would be to try and win the race but these two guys [Verstappen and Russell] are probably going to make my life pretty tough tomorrow.”
