Hamilton Expresses Fury After another Qualifying Disappointment in Abu Dhabi
Lewis Hamilton is visibly frustrated after being eliminated in Q1 for the fourth consecutive time,culminating in a 16th-place starting position for sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Following the session,Hamilton offered minimal verbal response during a Sky Sports F1 interview,answering two follow-up questions with only a nod.
The frustration appeared to stem from ongoing issues with the car’s handling. On his out-lap back to the pits, Hamilton radioed race engineer Riccardo Adami, stating: “Sorry buddy, same thing every time.” When asked by Rachel Brooks if this message related to his own qualifying performance, Hamilton simply nodded. He offered the same non-verbal response when asked if he was unable to utilize his usual driving strength.
In a brief discussion with non-TV media shortly after, Hamilton acknowledged a crash during Free Practice 3 (FT3) “certainly didn’t help.” He explained the incident at Turn 9: ”The car touched down and I lost control of it. We found bouncing, which was persistent.”
When directly asked about his feelings after being knocked out of Q1 for the fourth time in a row,Hamilton stated,”I have no words to express my feelings,just a lot of anger.” He declined to specify the source of his anger.
Looking ahead, hamilton admitted he has “no” plan for how to improve the situation within the Ferrari team starting Monday. He also expressed uncertainty about his mental recovery during the upcoming winter break before the 2026 season. “Time will tell. it’s the shortest break,” he said, noting that the first test drives with the new cars are scheduled for the end of January in Barcelona.
Hamilton currently has no concrete plans for the winter break, stating, “At the moment I don’t know. I have no plans for anything.” He also doesn’t anticipate a strong result in Sunday’s race,saying,”From where I start,there’s not much you can do.”
Meanwhile, hamilton’s Ferrari teammate, Charles Leclerc, fared significantly better, qualifying in fifth place, securing a spot on the third row.leclerc successfully navigated Q1 and Q2 after initially attempting Q1 on medium tires before switching to softs. He finished just 0.085 seconds behind Mercedes driver George Russell, who qualified fourth.
Leclerc described the car as “tricky,” stating, “You just have to drive it with full commitment. That either takes you into the wall or out of Q1.” He added that he had made changes to the car between Friday and Saturday, feeling an enhancement, though it wasn’t immediately apparent in FT3.He expressed satisfaction with his qualifying performance, notably his laps in Q3, stating he “gave it [his] all.”
