Lewis Hamilton misery compounded after Qatar pit-lane start announced

Lewis Hamilton's Qatar Grand Prix weekend got off to the worst possible start on Friday and now it's got even worse after being confirmed for a pit-lane start.

Having failed to escape Q1 at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the Ferrari star failed to bounce back in sprint qualifying after again being eliminated in the first session after placing 18th.

But it has now been confirmed that the seven-time world champion will start Saturday's sprint race from the pit-lane, ensuring that any slim hopes of achieving any points with a top eight finish already look finished at the Lusail Circuit.

But it isn't just Hamilton who has decided to give up their grid position and elected to start the 19-lap race from the pits.

In addition Aston Martin's Lance Stroll and Alpine duo Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto - also eliminated in Q1 - will join Hamilton, with only the Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson staying on the grid from the drivers knocked out in Q1.

The decisions come after setup changes were made to their respective cars that carry with them grid penalties, given how far back the drivers are, the trade off between better performance for qualifying and the race has been factored in against sprint race gains.

Lewis Hamilton stunned after Qatar failure

Hamilton was left almost speechless after qualifying yesterday, giving Sky Sports an interview where the 40-year-old looked utterly dejected.

In an awkward exchange with Rachel Brookes, Hamilton gave very short answers to the broadcaster's questions.

Brookes observed Hamilton's struggles during sprint qualifying, and asked: "Was the car tricky to drive?"

"Same as always," was Hamilton's response.

"Anything positive you can take into tomorrow?" came the next question from Brookes, to which Hamilton responded: "The weather's nice."

SPRINT QUALIFYING RESULTS: Piastri on pole as Tsunoda BEATS Verstappen at Qatar GP

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