'S*** happens' - Hamilton in X-rated reaction after shock Dutch GP exit

Dutch Grand Prix

'S*** happens' - Hamilton in X-rated reaction after shock Dutch GP exit

The Briton failed to make it into Q3 in what was a qualifying disaster for him

Luis Raya

Saturday 26 August 2023 17:12 Updated: 22:50

Lewis Hamilton was left rueing his qualifying display at the Dutch Grand Prix after missing out on Q3, having been caught out by the drying conditions at Zandvoort..

The qualifying session brought several surprises due to the changing weather conditions, with Q1 starting on a wet track and gradually drying out. This led to many drivers experiencing off-track excursions and having to abort their laps.

The British driver couldn't manage to secure a sufficiently quick lap, falling short by 0.084 seconds, placing him far back on the grid in the following Q2 session.

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"S*** happens, I'll give it my best shot tomorrow," said Hamilton after the session, as quoted by Dutch broadcaster Viaplay.

Later on, the British driver spoke to Rachel Brookes on Sky Sports F1, where he mentioned that he experienced tyre overheating.

“I did two fast laps at the end and the tyres overheated, so couldn’t improve on the last lap. Same car as I just qualified in [for tomorrow] which wasn’t really good," he said.

"Hopefully when the car is a little bit heavier, maybe we’ll be able to progress forward. It’s not an easy track to move forwards on, tomorrow’s a new day so I'll give it my best."

A chaotic qualifying session

The rain made the track very challenging in qualifying with Hamilton's team-mate George Russell (above) qualifying third

Hamilton wasn't the only one who struggled in the qualifying session, as the difficult track conditions meant that the drivers had to be very cautious, failing to find grip.

Q1 began with a very wet track, and while there was some rain during that session, it didn't rain again in the following two sessions, where the track was drying out. There were two major accidents involving Logan Sargeant and Charles Leclerc, resulting in two red flags. Some teams, like Williams, surprised with their performance, having both their cars make it to Q3.

On the other hand, George Russell's Mercedes finished third in a trouble-free session for him. Nevertheless, the British driver ended more than seven-tenths of a second behind the polesitter Verstappen, indicating that it could be another dominating weekend for the Dutch driver.