CRASH!
In his first outing since winning the F1 title Lewis set the bar high, but then came the ...
IT was not how Lewis Hamilton had told us it would be on his first competitive outing as the newly-crowned quadruple world champion — a time supposedly of total focus and new frontiers.
Instead, his participation in qualifying for today’s Brazilian Grand Prix lasted just 1min 19sec, when he crashed off the Interlagos track at 160mph. His assault on Michael Schumacher’s record 91 wins has stalled, for now.
Hamilton’s rare mistake brought the session to a halt, as the champion’s car spun 90 degrees and hit the tyre wall, tearing off his front-left wheel and damaging the suspension of his Mercedes. The Rolex hoarding was dislodged and hung over the damaged chassis. Tyre rubber marked Hamilton’s path.
Nothing but pride being badly damaged, he radioed to the team, telling them he was okay and, after a pause, stepped out of the car. He moved freely.
The red flag was waved while his car was lifted clear. The session was delayed for eight minutes, before Valtteri Bottas, in the other Mercedes, took pole with a late, decisive strike. The Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen were second and third.
Hamilton’s accident was a real blow for the Briton, who wrapped up his latest title in Mexico a fortnight ago, after he had dominated Friday’s practice sessions. He will now have to fight his way up from the back of the grid, having failed to make it out of the first qualifying session for the first time since the Belgian Grand Prix last year. Perhaps he was caught out by the light rain that had fallen on the track in the hour leading up to qualifying and the spitting stuff that continued on and off during the afternoon. He did not claim to be the victim of technical gremlins.
Or maybe his level has dropped a fraction since he won the title in Mexico City. Could we really expect him to maintain such total intensity with nothing significant to drive for?
Officially, Hamilton required special dispensation from the FIA to take part in the race, having failed to set a time in qualifying. But that was duly nodded through, so he can compete on the ramshackle wonder of a track that framed the biggest moment of his career, when he took his world title by a single point in 2008. Hamilton declined immediate TV interviews, but later spoke to the media when he had gathered his thoughts. ‘I’m okay,’ he said, forcing a mirthless smile. ‘It happened really quickly.
‘It is what it is. Of course it’s unfortunate. I tend to just look at these things as challenges. Overcoming them makes life meaningful.
‘I just need to take whatever bubble of negativity comes from that experience and try to grow from it.
‘It’s very unusual from me (to make this sort of mistake), but it shows we are all human and things happen.’
Hamilton soon appeared in the pit lane, his hood up, to congratulate Bottas on his third career pole.
With the Mercedes team held up in a terrifying mugging on Friday night, Bottas’ fine display offered some balm for the boys.