Lewis Hamilton had a disastrous Qualifying at the Chinese GP, as the British driver was eliminated in the first round of qualifying.
The weekend has been a rollercoaster for Hamilton. The British driver initially achieved a good result in the sprint race, despite the W15 car performing below expectations. Therefore, fans had high hopes for the seven-time world champion after a challenging start to the season. However, those hopes were shattered when the 39-year-old driver was eliminated in the first round of qualifying, securing the 18th position on the grid.
Hamilton’s struggles since the 2024 season continued in China. His 18th position in qualifying will make it difficult to score points at the Shanghai circuit. Hamilton expressed his apologies for the results over the team radio. However, Mercedes will do their best to give the seven-time world champion the best opportunity.
When asked about his feelings after the disappointing elimination in Q1, Hamilton admitted he expected better results after making changes to the setup. However, the qualifying session proved otherwise. The 39-year-old driver accepted his fate and acknowledged that sometimes things don’t go as planned.
Mercedes has constantly been making changes to the W15 car to gain any advantage. The qualifying session in China presented a similar situation, where Hamilton was eager to make adjustments to improve his chances. Hamilton mentioned that he and his teammate had very similar cars. However, during qualifying, both drivers adopted different approaches in their setups. This may explain the significant performance difference between them. Unfortunately, Hamilton’s setup did not provide him with significant benefits and further hindered his chances. Therefore, the seven-time world champion admitted that an 18th place qualifying position was “pretty bad”.
Hamilton will do his best to fight for points at the Shanghai circuit. Currently, Mercedes is engaged in a tight battle with Aston Martin without a significant advantage. The Chinese GP promises to deliver exciting racing action throughout the grid due to the varied qualifying positions of the drivers.
