SUMMARY
- Lewis Hamilton's hopes shattered in Chinese Grand Prix qualifying, starting from disappointing 18th position after Turn 14 mishap.
- Lewis Hamilton's hopes shattered in Chinese Grand Prix qualifying, starting from disappointing 18th position after Turn 14 mishap.
Chinese Grand Prix weekend unfolded like a cruel twist of fate for Lewis Hamilton with thin margins in Formula 1. Fresh off a podium finish in the inaugural Sprint qualifying event, the Mercedes driver appeared poised for another strong showing. But the excitement around the victory on Saturday was suddenly dashed during the qualifying session.
In the opening qualifying round, Hamilton’s dreams of starting on the front row were crushed. He misjudged the challenging Turn 14 on his final flying lap, which lost him a lot of time. The British sensation was still bound by his previous violation even as the track conditions gradually improved and other drivers were able to consistently increase their lap times.
Lewis Hamilton endures excruciating Chinese Grand Prix
The snowball effect culminated in a demoralizing 18th-place finish in Q1, a disastrous result that significantly compromised his race strategy for the main event. Taking into account Hamilton’s prior performance, this setback is exaggerated. His early withdrawal from the qualifying round starkly contrasts his impressive showing in the Sprint race, when he took P2 and showed his skill set.
#ChineseGP 🇨🇳 | Lewis Hamilton post-quali: “I should’ve gotten through easy. It was my mistake. I struggled, I couldn’t get the car to stop in turn 14, the thing just kept locking. Needed one more lap.” pic.twitter.com/jk6V6NuT2n
— deni (@fiagirly) April 20, 2024
According to the British driver, “I woulda, shoulda got through easy. It was my mistake. I just struggled I think to stop the car in Turn 14, it just kept locking. Maybe I needed one more lap.” While speaking of W15, Hamilton stated, “The car’s massively different – we changed a lot but I’m hoping tomorrow’s going to be a bit better. I hope it rains tomorrow now. The rain dance – I need everyone to do it!”
Now that Lewis Hamilton will be starting from a disappointing position, the Silver Arrows team must adjust their race plan, which poses a huge challenge. To salvage any points from a weekend that was so promising, Hamilton will need to call upon all of his racecraft and expertise as the midfield duel heats up.
Max Verstappen secures 100th F1 pole for Red Bull in China
Max Verstappen dominated the Shanghai race weekend, securing a historic double victory for himself and Red Bull. The driver from the Netherlands won the first Formula 1 sprint race. He proceeded to secure Red Bull’s 100th pole position by winning the main event in pole position. With a qualifying time of 1 minute 33.660 seconds, he comfortably defeated his teammate Sergio Perez.
Max Verstappen topping the timesheets in China means Red Bull has achieved their 100th pole position in Formula 1.
Their first-ever pole (and race victory!) came at this very venue in 2009, courtesy of Sebastian Vettel 👏 pic.twitter.com/wWzANCXREM
— The Race (@wearetherace) April 20, 2024
According to the reigning champion, “I think after the sprint race it gave us a few more ideas for the car and I think the car worked even better in qualifying now… The car was really nice to drive. That final lap felt pretty decent and (I’m) also very happy to drive here in the dry. The conditions were pretty good so it was a lot of fun.”
This victory also solidified Verstappen’s position as the first driver since Mika Hakkinen in 1999 to start a season with five consecutive poles. For the first time in the new season, Fernando Alonso touched the podium and will begin the race on Sunday alongside the Dutchman and Perez. Trailing behind the seasoned driver, McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri earned the P4 and P5 spots respectively.