By Matt Morlitz

Last Updated: 27/03/22 1:45 p.m. Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Anthony Davidson compares Lewis Hamilton’s Q1 Round with that of teammate George Russell, after the shock departure of the seven-time world champion Anthony Davidson compares Lewis Hamilton’s Q1 Round with that of teammate George Russell, after the shock departure of the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton blamed a “non-driving” Mercedes car for a “launch” of Q1 and the five-year low in the Saudi Arabia qualifying GP, with Toto Wolff admitting that his team’s current performance is “completely unacceptable”. In a huge shock in F1, Hamilton was eliminated in the first half of Saturday’s penalty shootout in 16th place – falling into the first hurdle of qualifying for the first time since his crash ahead of the 2017 Brazilian GP. Hamilton, disappointed speaking to the media afterwards, said a change in setting was the cause of his lack of pace compared to his teammate George Russell – who qualified sixth – and lost his chances in Sunday’s game. “I do not know how different the cars are set up, but the car could not be driven with the setup I chose,” Hamilton explained. “But it’s my fault, I made some changes to the setting. Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Lewis Hamilton tries to explain the reasons behind his departure from Q1 before the Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia
Lewis Hamilton tries to explain the reasons behind his departure from Q1 before the Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia “I do not know if this had anything to do with it, but it was very volatile. I do not know what I can do tomorrow, but I am far behind.” Hamilton is set to start 15th in today’s race due to the absence of Mick Schumacher from the grid after a high-speed collision Asked if he was surprised, Hamilton replied: “Yes, of course. [The setup] looked good on the P3, I tried to go in a similar direction and maybe I overdid it. The car was just motionless and so nervous. “ Hamilton said his car had never been “so bad” and also hinted that he could look to start from the pit-lane, which would allow Mercedes to break parc-ferme conditions and change the set again. -up of. Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Sky F1’s Johnny Herbert and Paul di Resta discuss possible explanations for Lewis Hamilton’s failure to qualify for Q2 Saudi Arabia GP qualifier
Sky F1’s Johnny Herbert and Paul di Resta discuss possible explanations for Lewis Hamilton’s failure to qualify for Q2 Saudi Arabia GP qualifier “I do not know if starting from where I am will be worth it,” said Hamilton. He added: “I just apologized to my team. “Everyone works so hard and when you don’t hand them in, they are outbursts.”

“Unacceptable; it’s not an option to stay where we are”

Mercedes has launched F1 2022 at the rear and admits it has – at best – the third fastest car to start the new era. But no one would have predicted that Hamilton would leave Q1 on a track they hoped would suit them better. The boss of the Wolff team said that Hamilton tried a “bolder” change in the setting and “basically had no back end to the car”. He went on to describe Mercedes’ current performance as “completely unacceptable”. “I love competition, I always love competition,” Wolff said. “We had a really strong eight-year run at the helm of the package, but this time it’s a bit like 2013 where we just weren’t up to the Red Bulls and possibly Ferrari as well. Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Mick Schumacher had a heavy crash in the qualifiers for the Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia. but fortunately the Haas driver was not injured as a result
Mick Schumacher had a heavy crash in the qualifiers for the Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia. but fortunately the Haas driver was not injured as a result “We kept fighting and that’s how I feel right now. We have to fight. It is definitely completely unacceptable to be in performance now. We are third on the road, sometimes not like today. “It’s just not an option to stay where we are.” Wolff was also adamant that there were no “huge” differences between the Hamilton and Russell cars, but “they were big enough to have a dramatic effect on the car’s performance, between going out in Q1 and making it stable in Q3. “We have a lot of parts of the car that are not working, that we do not understand, that are not performing well enough,” Wolff added. “And here we do not all expect the car to be.” Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Lewis Hamilton had further difficulties in his Mercedes during training two before the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton had further difficulties in his Mercedes during training two before the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Sky Sports F1 experts on Hamilton’s misery

Paul Di Resta: “He was not calm all the time, right? The team told him that George went seven tenths faster in the first set of tires. “It’s not Lewis Hamilton we know, there must be something in this car that is not right. “His body language after the FP3 indicated that something was wrong when he was standing in the back of the car. “It will be a very different race back there and you can’t really see, with the speed they have, how they can charge.” Jenson Button: “This is so weird, it just doesn’t look like Lewis at all.” Johnny Herbert: “Lewis, even when he has a bad day, you would expect him to be much closer to George. It just shows where the Mercedes are, where they are completely and utterly confused about how to fix it car. “This is something you do not see from Lewis. It did not look like a bad lap, but obviously the speed was not there. So, I think it shows exactly where Mercedes is.”