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Lewis Hamilton suffered a shocking final qualification for Mercedes having qualified only 18th fastest for Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The 39-year-old, in his final race for the Silver Arrows, will start 16th on Sunday night at the Yas Marina circuit after a pole was stuck under his car for much of his final lap in a major crash.
Director of the Mercedes team Toto Wolff bowed his head in despair in the garage after Hamilton’s final lap, which meant he did not make the top 15 on the grid and was eliminated in Q1.
Hamilton will start P16 as a result of penalties from Charles Leclerc and Alex Albon.
“I screwed up, guys,” sevenfold F1 the world champion said on the team radio. “That was bad. Jesus.”
Wolff replied: “Yes, Lewis, that was bad.”
Replays show that Hamilton’s wing was hit by a pillar, which came loose on the track and crashed into the floor of his car.
Kevin Magnussen initially moved the pole.
That means Hamilton ends his 2024 season with a 19-5 deficit to teammate George Russell in qualifying.
Alex Albon, Zhou Guanyu, Franco Colapinto and Jack Doohan were also eliminated in the first qualifying session.
More to come…