“Sorry guys,” Lewis Hamilton apologizes to Mercedes for being knocked out of Q1 for the Chinese GP

Lewis Hamilton's nightmare 2024 season continues as the Briton was eliminated in Q1 during Chinese GP Qualifying.

“Sorry guys,” Lewis Hamilton apologizes to Mercedes for being knocked out of Q1 for the Chinese GP

Lewis Hamilton (via IMAGO)

Mercedes’ ground-effect era struggles continue as Lewis Hamilton faces yet another disappointing situation at the Chinese GP. The Briton had a great outing in the Sprint race despite the mediocre performance of the W15 to secure a P2 finish. However, during the Qualifying for the main race, Hamilton suffered from a highly disappointing Q1 elimination.

Lewis Hamilton was looking hopeful of securing a great comeback after a disappointing start to the season. Hamilton even scored a few points in the sprint race for the Silver Arrows at the Chinese GP. Mercedes’ challenger struggles were quite prevalent as the Briton faced issues during the slow-speed corners of the Shanghai circuit. Regardless, Brackley was hopeful of a front-row start following the sprint qualifying results.

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The nightmare continues for Hamilton as he was eliminated from the Q1 session of Qualifying. The seven-time world champion sustained a P18 start for the race on Sunday in China. This is the first time since Saudi Arabia 2022 when the Briton failed to clear Q1. Hamilton opened up on the team radio and said sorry to the team because of the disappointing results.

FS Video
Sorry guys.
Lewis Hamilton told his race engineer.

George Russell claims he was ‘lucky’ to keep the W15 on track in Qualifying

Compared to Lewis Hamilton, George Russell had a much better finish to the Q1 session. The 26-year-old cleared the first session to progress into Q2. Amidst the tricky conditions of the Shanghai Circuit, Russell reckoned that he was lucky to keep the W15 on track. Multiple drivers have been facing issues with breaking at the slow-speed corners.

I was lucky to keep it on the track. A lot of lock.
George Russell said during post-session interview.
George Russell and Lewis Hamliton
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton ( Image via IMAGO)

Russell is currently fighting it out to help Mercedes achieve some crucial points over the Chinese weekend. Hamilton has crushing hopes of a shot at points contention, courtesy of the W15 challenger. The seven-time world champion will have to push extra hard just to have a chance of scoring points. Hence, the Chinese GP would be exciting to see how the Silver Arrows fare off.

Red Bull’s dominant performance has also taken a hit due to the team’s results during sprint qualifying. Regardless, Mercedes is still miles away from matching Milton Keynes in terms of performance. If anything, Brackley is currently in a close battle with Aston Martin to secure a better finish than one another. Hence, the Chinese GP will spot great competition between Silverstone and Brackley.

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