Lewis Hamilton admits Mercedes F1 fallout after horror Qatar Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton appearing nervous photoshopped by his Mercedes — Photo: © IMAGO

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Hamilton admits Mercedes fallout after horror Qatar race

Lewis Hamilton endured a painful Qatar Grand Prix

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Monday 2 December 2024 09:12 Updated: 11:36

Lewis Hamilton has admitted to a ‘disagreement’ with his Mercedes car after a horrific performance at the Qatar Grand Prix.

The seven-time world champion was unable to carry the high of last weekend’s 1-2 in Las Vegas into Qatar, where Hamilton endured a miserable result.

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George Russell out-qualified his team-mate once again at Lusail, with the younger Mercedes star starting on pole as Hamilton languished in P6.

Hamilton delivered a brutal assessment of his performance after sprint qualifying, where he stated he was ‘not fast’ anymore, and instead looked forward to the winter break.

Lewis Hamilton lost out to his team-mate George Russell last weekend in Las Vegas

Lewis Hamilton claimed he is no longer fast after disappointing performance in Qatar

Lewis Hamilton suffers nightmare Qatar GP result

The 39-year-old's fortunes did not improve during the race in Qatar either, where the champion was initially penalised for a false start.

Moreover, Hamilton received a puncture after he ran over the debris of a dismantled wing mirror, and was forced to pit which saw him tumble down the order.

Following yet another penalty for speeding in the pitlane, Hamilton found himself finishing the race out of the points and in P12.

Speaking to the media after the race, the champion once again delivered a deflated response, and claimed that he had fallen out with the car.

Lewis Hamilton provides downbeat assessment of his Qatar GP performance

"It just didn’t really go that great but these things happen. Don’t judge me by how many times I fall but I'm going to get up tomorrow and give it another go,” Hamilton said to Sky Sports after the race.

"The car and I don’t get along really that well. But we were very, very far off in the beginning and we didn’t have enough wing in to start with, the cars were quite different and it wasn’t really great to drive.

"But my fault today so apologies to the team for the false start and then the pit-lane incident."

Lewis Hamilton Mercedes George Russell Qatar Grand Prix