F1 News: Lewis Hamilton in X-RATED admission after Mercedes failure

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Saudi Arabia, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Hamilton in X-RATED admission after Mercedes failure

Lewis Hamilton Lewis Hamilton has failed to make it out of Q1 for the first time since the 2022 Saudi Arabia GP

Originally written by Yara Elshebiny. This version is a translation.

Sunday 21 April 2024 02:00

Lewis Hamilton suffered a disastrous day at the Chinese Grand Prix.

Friday's Sprint Qualifying saw Lando Norris steal the show with a controversial pole position. Initially, Hamilton looked set to inherit the top spot after Norris' lap was deleted for exceeding track limits.

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However, a late steward's reversal handed the McLaren driver his second career Sprint pole, with Hamilton starting in second.

Saturday's main event, the Sprint itself, offered some redemption for the Mercedes star as he successfully defended his second-place finish.

Hamilton will start the 2024 Chinese GP in 18th

Hamilton: 'S*** happens'

Hamilton's hopes for a strong Sunday were dashed in a shocking qualifying session that saw him fail to make it out of Q1 for the first time since the 2022 Saudi Arabia GP.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the session, Hamilton's voice carried a clear tone of disappointment.

"Struggled," he said, when asked about his session. "I made massive changes into qualifying. It wasn’t too bad in some places. I couldn’t stop in Turn 14. It is what it is."

Hamilton went on to explain the team's strategy for qualifying, revealing a gamble that eventually backfired.

"This morning George [Russell] and I had very similar cars but this afternoon we’re trying to experiment still with the car so I went one way a long way and he went the other way just to see if we could find anything.

"That’s what we need to do at the moment but it didn’t work. I’ll give it my best shot…18th is pretty bad. When I was making the set-up changes I was like ‘it can’t get any worse, surely’ and it did. S*** happens."

Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Ferrari McLaren Lando Norris Chinese Grand Prix