“I wonder what the excuse will be this week” – Fans react as Lewis Hamilton is knocked out of Q2 by George Russell at Abu Dhabi GP

Lewis Hamilton was eliminated from Qualifying by teammate George Russell right at the end of the session.

“I wonder what the excuse will be this week” – Fans react as Lewis Hamilton is knocked out of Q2 by George Russell at Abu Dhabi GP

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton (Via IMAGO)

The Abu Dhabi GP is the final round of the 2023 F1 season. Lewis Hamilton seems to be struggling at the season finale. The seven-time world champion had a difficult time during Free Practice as he could not get the most out of the Mercedes W14. Now, Hamilton has been knocked out of Qualifying by none other than his teammate George Russell.

Hamilton and Russell had struggled to get the most out of the car throughout the first two Qualifying sessions. The 38-year-old pulled in a decent lap on his final run in Q2 to try and make his place in the Top 10. Lewis Hamilton put himself in tenth place on the timing sheets at the end of the session. However, George Russell was on a quicker lap.

The 25-year-old managed to knock his teammate out of the Top 10 with a lap time good enough to progress to Q3. Certainly, a disappointing end to Lewis Hamilton’s final Qualifying session of the 2023 season. The seven-time world champion cited his struggles with the car set-up as the reason for his elimination. This is the first time Hamilton has been knocked out of Q2 on two consecutive weekends since 2014.

FS Video

Fans unhappy as Lewis Hamilton fails to make it to the Top 10 in Abu Dhabi GP Qualifying

Fans on X swiftly expressed their views on Hamilton’s elimination. One fan speculated on what excuse the seven-time world champion would come up with to justify this disappointing result. The fan wrote, “I wonder what the excuse will be this week.” While another user claimed that it was over for the 38-year-old as he got knocked out by Russell. The user said, “Man is washed.”

Lewis Hamilton (image via IMAGO)
Lewis Hamilton (image via IMAGO)

Additionally, one user wondered if Mercedes would again claim that Lewis Hamilton was on a different set-up than his teammate. The user commented, “Let me guess, Lewis was testing some kind of alternate setup?” On the other hand, another user reckoned that the seven-time champion had completely given up on the Mercedes W14. The user stated, “Hamilton has given up on the car.”

Certainly, Lewis Hamilton would be disappointed with this result. The 38-year-old will need to make up a few places in the race on Sunday. As he tries to bag some crucial points for Mercedes. The Silver Arrows are battling with Ferrari for the runner-up spot in the standings. Although, it remains to be seen if Hamilton could get a decent result in the Grand Prix.

In case you missed it: