F1 News Today: Lewis Hamilton's season hits ROCK BOTTOM as McLaren send cheeky request

Lewis Hamilton looking miffed at the Qatar Grand Prix — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News Today

F1 News Today: Lewis Hamilton's season hits ROCK BOTTOM as McLaren send cheeky request

Qualifying was a disastrous affair for Lewis Hamilton

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Sunday 7 December 2025 06:55

Seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton was knocked out of Q1 during Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifying, and will start down in 16th for Sunday's race.

It's the third successive race weekend in which Hamilton has been knocked out in the first part of qualifying, and it means that he is now almost certain to finish the season without a single grand prix podium, a career first for the Brit and a new low in his torrid first season at Ferrari.

Hamilton had a terrible final sector on his final flying lap in Q1, and that ensured that he was only fast enough to qualify 16th.

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Red Bull mind games after Lando Norris infringement?

FIA race stewards announced that an incident involving McLaren F1 star Lando Norris would be investigated after a session at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Norris had to take avoiding action to avoid what could have been a huge collision, in an incident involving Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda.

It happened in FP3, and both drivers were summoned to see the stewards.

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F1 Qualifying Results: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix times and grid positions

Max Verstappen claimed a stunning pole position at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, to boost his championship hopes.

George Russell looked at one stage like he could interfere for pole position, but only managed P4 on the grid.

Find out where the other two championship protagonists will be starting for the Abu Dhabi GP below.

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Nico Rosberg claims Lewis Hamilton has hit rock bottom at Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton’s former Mercedes team-mate and F1 adversary Nico Rosberg delivered his verdict on the champion’s woeful first season at Ferrari.

Hamilton has had a torrid time of it since joining Ferrari in January, and sits sixth in the drivers' championship, without a grand prix podium to his name.

At the Abu Dhabi GP, Hamilton put in yet another dismal performance to be knocked out in Q1 for the third successive weekend, and that sparked a brutal assessment from Rosberg.

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McLaren send cheeky request to Red Bull in F1 title decider

McLaren CEO Zak Brown couldn’t resist one last cheeky request from Red Bull as the F1 title race arrived at a thrilling conclusion.

Ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, McLaren confirmed that neither Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri would be speaking to the media ahead of the title showdown, with Brown instead representing his drivers in the paddock.

The 54-year-old accompanied Sky Sports F1’s coverage of all three practice sessions in Abu Dhabi, alongside McLaren’s title rival and Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies, and the American opted to ask Mekies for a key bit of information live on air ahead of the Abu Dhabi GP title showdown.

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F1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Lando Norris Abu Dhabi Grand Prix F1 News Today