When Lewis Hamilton qualified second for the Chinese Grand Prix sprint, it seemed like it could be a turning point in his season. The Mercedes driver has been in the midst of his worst-ever start to a campaign.
But Hamilton produced what former teammate Nico Rosberg called a ‘magical’ lap in the Shanghai rain to secure a front-row start alongside Lando Norris. It was his best display in a meaningful session all year, and by some distance.
And things got even better for the seven-time world champion when he muscled his way past Norris at the start and took the lead. Unfortunately for Hamilton, Max Verstappen soon mounted a charge.
At around the halfway point of the race, Verstappen eased past, and then disappeared into the distance. Still, after bagging a much-needed seven points, he would have hoped to carry his momentum into the rest of the weekend.
What happened to Lewis Hamilton in qualifying?
But that’s now how things panned out. A mistake at the hairpin – one that Rosberg called ‘unnecessary’ – condemned Hamilton to his first Q1 exit since the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The Englishman will now start Sunday’s race down in 18th. Given Mercedes’ ongoing difficulties, it may be difficult to even score points from there.
Nico Rosberg spots Lewis Hamilton ‘excuse’ trend
Speaking during commentary for Sky Sports F1, Rosberg said Hamilton tends to blame set-up differences for his deficit to George Russell. Russell reached Q3 on Saturday and will start the race eighth.
Hamilton had the upper hand on Friday when his teammate suffered an SQ2 elimination after the rain caught him out. Russell could only recover to P8 in the sprint.
But the 26-year-old now leads the qualifying head-to-head 4-1 across the first five races. And Rosberg doesn’t seem overly convinced by Hamilton’s explanation.
He said: “It’s interesting how this year, because George has most of the time been in front of Lewis, four to one now in qualifying, Lewis always tends to say, ‘yeah but we have such different set-ups and such a big car difference’. That’s kind of his excuse so far this year.”
Is Hamilton leaving Mercedes at a good time?
The partnership between Hamilton and Mercedes has been the most successful in F1 history, delivering an unmatched six world championships. It will come to an end in 2025, though, as the Briton joins rivals Ferrari.
Right now, it looks like there’s a risk of things petering out. Toto Wolff would be within his rights to expect more from his star driver, while Hamilton would have anticipated having a better car by now.
This is the third season in a row where Mercedes, and indeed a number of their competitors, have been unable to get near Red Bull. The biggest problem for the German manufacturer, though, is that it’s gone backwards.
Rosberg has suggested that Hamilton might have just timed the move perfectly as Ferrari show signs of life. The Scuderia are the only team to stop Red Bull winning since the start of last year, and Karun Chandhok thinks their new driver will have ‘enjoyed’ their recent performances from afar.
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