A livid Toto Wolff apologised to Lewis Hamilton for the “idiotic” and “inexcusable” selections by Mercedes in Abu Dhabi GP Qualifying which have left the Briton in sixteenth place on the grid for his last race on the group.
On a weekend which had began with nice promise of a powerful swansong outcome as Hamilton ran strongly by means of follow within the prime 5 on the timesheet, the seven-time champion was eradicated within the first stage of qualifying for the third time within the final six occasions.
Nevertheless, whereas Hamilton could have struggled with the group’s automobile in qualifying for a lot of this yr, an incandescent Wolff blamed Saturday’s newest early exit squarely on the group’s execution of the tip of Q1 when the 39-year-old was despatched again onto monitor too late amid the site visitors of different automobiles.
Hamilton’s possibilities of Q2 development have been additionally additional hindered by the misfortune of operating over a free bollard, which had been dislodged by Kevin Magnussen’s Haas forward of him, in the direction of the tip of his out lap which then turned wedged beneath his automobile’s entrance wing.
Nevertheless, Wolff made no excuses for the group’s timing errors.
“I just need to apologise to Lewis and also everyone in the team that worked so hard in making it a great end for him,” the Mercedes group principal informed Sky Sports activities F1.
“He was the faster man with that set-up we selected on the automobile to additionally experiment for subsequent yr and we completely let him down.
“An idiotic mistake of not going earlier. Inexcusable, inexcusable.
“I’ve hardly ever been so down about what has occurred. Perhaps it summarises the final races we’ve had with him, however that is the worst a part of it as a result of it was simply idiotic.”
“We have been fortunate that each of them wrestled their approach by means of the site visitors. Perhaps with out the bollard it might have labored.
“But you don’t risk so much in Q1 where we easily had the pace to make it out.”
A rueful Wolff, whose group have rewritten the document books with Hamilton over the previous 12 years, added: “Our most beneficial racing driver ever, essentially the most useful and best driver of this sport goes out in Q1 as a result of we make a mistake.
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“That doesn’t ruin all the legacy we have with him, but I can only say sorry to him.”
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Lewis Hamilton says he goals to return again from the bollard incident that prompted his disastrous exit in Q1 on the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The Mercedes chief admitted that hopes of a last podium for Hamilton as a Silver Arrows driver have been now forlorn from down on the grid’s eighth row. Hamilton certified 18th however is promoted two locations on Sunday’s grid as a result of penalties for Charles Leclerc and Alex Albon.
“He was there. We would have had a real go for the podium,” Wolff added. “He was P3 this morning and now it’s pretty much impossible from where he is.”
Hamilton: Qualifying misfortune ‘simply my luck’
Whereas naturally disillusioned and pissed off by the merciless Q1 flip of occasions too, Hamilton supplied a philosophical method to the most important setback to his last weekend on the Silver Arrows.
“Just my luck, but it’s ok,” he informed Sky Sports activities F1.
“We tried so laborious with the set-up, we acquired the automobile in an awesome place, and it was trying good in P3 so I used to be actually considering ‘perhaps a podium is feasible this weekend’.
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Lewis Hamilton says he goals to return again from the bollard incident that prompted his disastrous exit in Q1 on the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
“Then the timing was not optimised with the session because I was the last one on the track and obviously I ended up behind one of the Alpines right at the end, so I just ran out of time.”
Hamilton stated he would now attempt to mount a comeback within the 58-lap Grand Prix.
“I’ll try to. As I said, the car has been feeling decent,” he stated. “To go from P1, P2 I was always relatively in the top five to then be in 18th definitely changes the look into the weekend but I’m still trying to be really present. I’m still really grateful.
“The automobile has been utterly completely different this weekend, it has been a lot nicer to drive, so my hopes have been excessive however it’s what it’s. I am going to attempt to come again from that.”
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Sky Sports activities revisit Lewis Hamilton’s most emotional moments for Mercedes forward of his last race in Abu Dhabi.
Sky Sports activities F1’s reside Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Sunday December 8
7.10am: F1 Academy Race Three
9.20am: F2 Function Race
11.30am: Grand Prix Sunday: Abu Dhabi GP build-up
1pm: The ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX
3pm: Chequered Flag: Abu Dhabi GP response
4pm: Ted’s Pocket book
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