Hamilton's Final Mercedes Qualifying Ruined by Bizarre Bollard Incident in Abu Dhabi
Lewis Hamilton faced an unexpected Q1 exit at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after a bizarre incident involving a loose bollard during his final qualifying session with Mercedes.
During his last-minute qualifying attempt, Kevin Magnussen cut Turn 14 to avoid Hamilton but dislodged a bollard that became stuck under Hamilton's car. This significantly reduced his car's downforce, resulting in an 18th-place qualification.
F1 car racing on circuit
"You couldn't make it up," Hamilton commented, noting that despite strong practice sessions and leading his teammate throughout the weekend, timing issues during qualifying proved costly. The seven-time world champion will start 16th after grid penalties are applied.
Despite the setback, Hamilton remained optimistic about his car's performance, highlighting positive setup changes that differentiated it from the previous five races. He aims to fight for points and potentially reach the top 10 during the race.
Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff publicly apologized for the team's "inexcusable" timing mistake, expressing particular regret given Hamilton's status as "the most valuable greatest driver of this sport." Wolff acknowledged that while this incident doesn't diminish their legacy together, the team's error in Q1 timing management was "idiotic" considering their usual pace advantage.
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