IT’S SWEAT 16
Hamilton feeling heat after Saudi shocker
LEWIS HAMILTON was sensationally knocked out at the first round of qualifying and will start 16th for today’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The struggling seven-time World champion failed to put in a lap good enough to haul himself into Q2 under the lights of the Jeddah street circuit where Mick Schumacher was airlifted to hospital following a terrifying 160mph crash.
It was the first time since Brazil in 2017 that Hamilton (right) had fallen at the first hurdle to suffer a shock elimination and it underlines the difficulties Mercedes have been facing with the new season.
The Brit was far from at ease for the whole session with many questioning the place the car is in. Following his performance, he admitted that he had been battling with the balance of the car through the whole session.
Mercedes’ struggles and lack of pace are well-documented.
Hamilton and his team have struggled to get on top of the sport’s new regulations – but no one could have predicted how far off he would be through yesterday’s session.
As Sergio Perez raced to pole position, Hamilton produced one of the worst qualifying displays of his record-breaking F1 career.
A disconsolate Hamilton – nearly seven 10ths slower than George Russell in the other Mercedes, who ended up qualifying sixth – could only say: “I am so sorry, guys.”
But Russell added: “We are one team and it wasn’t a good day. We don’t have the handle on the car at the moment. We’ve work to do. Lewis didn’t have the confidence in the car.”
The action was stopped for a second time after Schumacher, son of seven-time World champion Michael Schumacher, crashed out heavily in his Haas.
The German hit the barriers hard through Turn 12 at high speed with the medical car immediately deployed.
The TV cameras cut away from the scene of the accident and no replays were
immediately shown. But
Haas said Schumacher, 23, was conscious and has been taken to the medical centre for assessment after escaping serious injury.
Schumacher’s machine was so badly damaged in the accident that it split in two as it was towed away by a recovery vehicle.
The running was delayed for 57 minutes as the barriers were repaired and debris from the accident was cleared.
A day on from a missile strike on an oil refinery 12 miles east of the track, the drivers – some of whom signalled their intention not to take part in today’s race during an extraordinary four-hour meeting on Friday night – were back on track.
And following Hamilton’s early demise, it was Perez who stole pole, edging out Charles Leclerc by just 0.025 seconds. Max Verstappen, who said he had “zero grip”, was 0.261 seconds slower than his Red Bull team-mate.