Lewis crashes out ...and fans cheer!
Verstappen supporters revel in Hamilton misery
LEWIS HAMILTON crashed out of qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix to loud and gleeful cheers from Max Verstappen’s travelling army of fans.
Mercedes then suffered a second disappointment when George Russell followed Hamilton into the wall and Verstappen secured pole position for today’s sprint race at the Red Bull Ring, a 24-lap dash along the 10-corner, 2.7-mile track.
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz qualified second and third for Ferrari, both less than one-tenth of a second behind.
As for Hamilton, he lost control at the left-hand Turn 7 and hit advertising hoardings, prompting a red-flag delay to Q3. ‘I’m so sorry guys,’ he said.
He was driven back by a medical car, though he was not seriously hurt and could walk freely on arrival in the pit lane. The impacted side of his Mercedes was sheared off. A big repair job awaits.
‘What position am I in?’ Hamilton asked before belatedly stepping out of the cockpit. The seven-time world champion was lying eighth at the time but will start the sprint from ninth at best as others went faster once the action resumed. He will be plunged further down the pack if he needs new parts.
Hamilton (right) turned up for media duties afterwards, saying: ‘It was a big hit but I am OK.
‘I am incredibly disappointed in myself. Everyone worked so hard to put this car together and I never like to bring it back damaged.
‘We were fighting for the top three. I don’t have an answer for it. I lost the back end and that was that.’
But he does not believe all is lost, adding: ‘I am encouraged to see our performance. We were not expecting to be as close as that today. That is a huge positive but I am really quite far back.
‘I don’t know what is possible but with the sprint race I hope I can make up for some lost time.’ The Spielberg track was jammed with orange-clad Verstappen fans. Some 60,000 devotees have come from Holland making it effectively a home race for him, as it is for his Salzburg-based Red Bull team.
So when Hamilton’s mishap occurred, more than half the spectators punched the air or let out a hoot of delight, not least after British fans booed Verstappen at Silverstone last weekend.
The accident caused an 11-minute delay. No sooner had qualifying restarted than Russell lost control at the final corner and spun into the tyre wall, the back of his car damaged.
He will start fourth, subject to gearbox penalties, and was warned by the stewards for entering the track on foot. ‘I am a bit worried about whether we can mend it,’ he said.
What else? Aston Martin’s five-year plan to win the world championship is hardly on course in its second season. Lawrence Stroll, their fashion-billionaire owner, has signed up all the staff he can get, but still there are no signs of improvement, quite the reverse. Sebastian Vettel was yesterday’s emblem of decline, finishing last in qualifying after having his nonetoo-hot best time deleted for exceeding track limits.
‘Man, that’s painful,’ the German wailed. Team-mate Lance Stroll, the boss’s son, was 17th out of 20. Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu returned after his miracle escape at Silverstone a week ago to labour to 18th for Alfa Romeo, though that may not matter too much when you have feared for your mortality. Briton Lando Norris qualified 15th after being unable to set a time in Q2.
‘I’m scared even to hit the brakes,’ he complained to the McLaren pit wall.
Sprint: today 3.30pm. Race: tomorrow 2pm. LIVE on Sky Sports.