Lewis Hamilton qualified just 18th for the Chinese Grand Prix as Mercedes team-mate George Russell also struggled, but at least made it into the top 10 to go eighth fastest.
Nico Rosberg criticized Lewis Hamilton for providing excuses to justify his poor performances, according to reports.
Hamilton’s top Grand Prix performance this season has been seventh place, but he managed to secure second in the Shanghai Sprint race on Saturday. This gave fans hope that he could challenge for pole position in the main event qualifying, but unfortunately, those hopes were soon shattered.
Unfortunately, he made an error on his last flying lap during Q1, which led to him starting in 18th place on the grid. On the other hand, his teammate George Russell had a slightly better outcome, making it to Q3 and securing the eighth fastest time.
Following the session, Hamilton expressed to Sky Sports that unforeseen circumstances occurred and acknowledged implementing significant modifications to his car’s configuration. Both he and Russell pursued different approaches in order to determine the optimal solution for the team.
Throughout this season, Hamilton has expressed similar sentiments following other letdowns. However, Rosberg, a former Mercedes driver, believes that Russell’s superior performance thus far indicates that Hamilton is merely providing justifications.
The ex-German racer mentioned, “George has mostly been leading ahead of Lewis. It’s now 4-1 in qualifying. Lewis usually argues, ‘Yeah, but we have different setups and a significant difference in car size.’ That’s his excuse for this year so far.
“Every time he says that, George responds, ‘Last time I checked, the cars are quite similar’… He’s got a point there. It’s quite intriguing.” Analyzing Hamilton’s blunder, Rosberg further suggested that a driver as skilled as the Briton should be impervious to such mistakes.
The reigning F1 champion of 2016 expressed, “It’s quite agonizing. It’s genuinely excruciating. Finishing in eighteenth place, Lewis. You were aware that the wind was blowing from behind. He had an impressive lap until that point. It was truly unnecessary to push the boundaries to such an extent.
“For someone who has won the world championship seven times, it’s a mistake that should have been avoidable. He had the brake balance too far forward. He lost a minimum of four tenths in that moment, which would have easily secured his advancement. Without a doubt. It’s an absolute catastrophe.”
Max Verstappen effortlessly secured pole position, marking Red Bull’s 100th in F1. Sergio Perez lined up beside him on the front row, with Fernando Alonso claiming third place ahead of Lando Norris. Oscar Piastri even finished ahead of the two Ferrari cars. Russell took eighth place, followed by Nico Hulkenberg and Valtteri Bottas in the top 10.
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