Hamilton's Abu Dhabi FP3 Crash: 'A Lot of Anger' After Q1 Exit
Lewis Hamilton expressed significant anger after his Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Q1 exit, marking his fourth consecutive failure to advance. A Free Practice 3 crash due to 'bottoming' compounded his struggles, leading to a 16th place start and capping a challenging season for the Mercedes driver. He lamented the lost practice time and the recurring issues, with little optimism for the race.
Lewis Hamilton expressed "a lot of anger" after failing to progress from Q1 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, marking his fourth consecutive Q1 exit. The Mercedes driver attributed his struggles to an FP3 crash and missing crucial practice time, ending a challenging season on a difficult note.
Why it matters:
Hamilton's continued struggles, culminating in a fourth straight Q1 exit (including Qatar's sprint qualifying), highlight a challenging end to his season with Mercedes. This performance gap to teammate Charles Leclerc has hindered Ferrari's constructors' championship standing and raises questions about his form heading into the winter break.
The details:
- FP1 Handover: Hamilton's weekend started with a handicap, as he ceded his SF-25 to Arthur Leclerc for Free Practice 1 on Friday, fulfilling rookie track time regulations. This meant less crucial setup time for the seven-time world champion.
- FP3 Crash: During Free Practice 3, Hamilton crashed at Turn 9, losing the rear of the car due to "bottoming" and sustained bouncing. "[The team] saw some bouncing going in and they said that carried all the way through," Hamilton explained.
- Qualifying Impact: The FP3 incident directly affected his qualifying session. Missing a second run in Q1 due to repairs "definitely doesn't help," he stated. He ultimately qualified 16th, a mere 0.008s shy of making it to Q2.
- Season Struggles: This poor qualifying streak underscores what has been Hamilton's 19th and arguably toughest campaign in F1. He has consistently struggled to match Charles Leclerc's pace, impacting Ferrari's fight for a better position than fourth in the constructors' championship.
What's next:
Facing a starting position of 16th for Sunday's race, Hamilton holds low expectations, noting "there's not a lot you can do" from there at Yas Marina. While he plans to "shove the hards on, go a long way and see what happens," he acknowledged it's "the same thing every weekend for me." As for the mental reset during the shortest off-season, Hamilton simply said, "time will tell." Pre-season testing for the new campaign begins in just seven weeks at Barcelona, offering a fresh start for the veteran driver.