Lewis Hamilton drops expletive in interview after ‘disaster’ in Chinese Grand Prix qualifying
Lewis Hamilton’s crude reaction to his nightmare qualifying at the Chinese Grand Prix has led to broadcasters apologizing for his foul language.
The seven-time Formula 1 world champion actually finished second in Saturday morning’s sprint race, but it was a return to form for Mercedes in the following qualifying session as their struggles continued.
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Hamilton, who leaves Mercedes to join Ferrari next year, was eliminated in the first round of qualifying at the Shanghai International Circuit, which saw grass fires interrupt Friday’s practice sessions.
That means he will start Sunday’s race in 18th position – with only Yuki Tsunoda and Logan Sargeant behind him.
Meanwhile, his Mercedes teammate George Russell was absent in the second qualifying round and will start eighth on the grid, with Vax Verstappen and Sergio Perez starting first and second respectively for Red Bull.
It was Hamilton’s worst qualifying performance in almost seven years, with former Mercedes teammate and rival Nico Rosberg calling it a “disaster”.
And the 39-year-old couldn’t hide his frustration when interviewed by Sky Sports after returning to the paddock.
“I just struggled, that’s what it is,” said the F1 great. “This morning George (Russell) and I had very similar cars but this afternoon we are still trying to experiment with the car.”
“So I went one way, way, way, and he went the other way, just to see if we could find anything.
“But yeah, it didn’t work. I’ll do my best – 18th is pretty bad.
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“When I made the configuration changes, I said to myself ‘surely it can’t get any worse, that’s for sure’… and that’s what happened.
“It happens.”
F1 commentator David Croft immediately apologized to viewers for his foul language.
It was a surprise, after falling back years earlier on Saturday to lead the sprint race for eight laps.
He ultimately had to settle for second place after being overtaken by eventual winner Verstappen, but he was happy with the result which gave him a well-deserved seven points.
“It’s the best result I’ve had in a long time, so I’m very happy and grateful, it’s a huge step and improvement,” the Briton said.
“The race was difficult and if I had gone further I would have struggled to progress. I discovered a lot about this car during this short stint, so I am excited for tomorrow.”
However, four hours later it all went wrong when Hamilton was brought back to earth with a rather nasty bump – and Rosberg pulled no punches in his assessment of qualifying, which was the Mercedes driver’s worst since his crash during qualifying in Brazil in 2017. .
“It’s really painful,” said Rosberg, who beat teammate Hamilton to the championship in 2016 before retiring.
“There was really no need to push the limits and as a seven-time world champion, this is a mistake that should be avoidable.
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“He broke three meters too late and his brakes were too far forward. He lost at least four tenths, which would have easily put him in Q2. It’s a disaster.”
Apart from second place in the sprint in Shanghai, this has been Hamilton’s worst start to an F1 season of his career.
Responding to Rosberg’s comments, he said: “It wasn’t one of my best qualifying rounds. I don’t blame the team for anything.
“I’m very strong mentally. It’s not great, it’s not crazy at all. Shit happens, you know.
“Sometimes you get it right, sometimes you get it wrong. This car is on a knife edge so it can easily do what we did.”
Elsewhere, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso will start Sunday’s race in third, while McLaren’s Lando Norris will line up on the grid in fourth, after falling from pole position to a disappointing sixth in the sprint race .
Chinese Grand Prix qualifying results:
- Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1 min 33.660 seconds
- Sergio Pérez (Mexico) Red Bull 1:33.982
- Fernando Alonso (Espa) Aston Martin 1:34.148
- Lando Norris (GB) McLaren 1:34.165
- Oscar Piastri (Australia) McLaren 1:34.273
- Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari 1:34.289
- Carlos Sainz Jr. (Spa) Ferrari 1:34.297
- George Russell (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:34.433
- Nico Hulkenberg (German) Haas F1 1:34.604
- Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Kick Sauber 1:34.665
- Lance Stroll (Can) Aston Martin 1:34.838
- Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) RB 1:34.934
- Esteban Ocon (Fra) Alpine 1:35.223
- Alexander Albon (Tha) Williams 1:35.241
- Pierre Gasly (Fra) Alpine 1:35.463
- Guanyu Zhou (Chn) Kick Sauber 1:35.505
- Kevin Magnussen (Den) Haas F1 1:35.516
- Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:35.573
- Yuki Tsunoda (Jpn) RB 1:35.746
- Logan Sargeant (United States) Williams 1:36.358
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