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Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Australia, 2024

Hamilton suffers CATASTROPHIC F1 qualifying after early exit

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Australia, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

Hamilton suffers CATASTROPHIC F1 qualifying after early exit

Lewis Hamilton makes a shock Q1 exit

Sheona Mountford
F1 Journalist
Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Lewis Hamilton has failed to make it out of Q1 following a shock exit during qualifying at the Chinese Grand Prix.

After a lock up into the final hairpin, Hamilton failed to set a time competitive enough to avoid the drop zone.

READ MORE: Hamilton makes STUNNING claim on F1 future amid Ferrari contract uncertainty

His teammate George Russell made it through to Q2, six tenths ahead of the champion.

It is the first time the British driver has failed to get out of Q1 since the 2022 Saudi Arabia GP, and described the lap as a 'disaster' over team radio.

Lewis Hamilton fails to make Q2 at the Chinese GP
Lewis Hamilton fails to make Q2 at the Chinese GP
Hamilton enjoyed a P2 finish in the sprint race earlier
Hamilton enjoyed a P2 finish in the sprint race earlier

Hamilton's qualifying nightmare

Hamilton enjoyed a P2 finish in the sprint earlier today, a race that he led until lap 9.

A lock up in the sprint made him easy pickings for Max Verstappen, who overtook for the lead and managed to create a 13 second gap to the Mercedes.

Guanyu Zhou, Kevin Magnussen, Yuki Tsunoda and Logan Sargeant were also knocked out in Q1.

READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Hamilton and Ferrari chief had meals together years before 2025 signing

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Hamilton Chinese Grand Prix

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