‘You couldn’t make it up’ – Hamilton on qualifying exit

At the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton claimed, “you couldn’t make it up” after losing his farewell race for Mercedes in the first round of qualifying.

The seven-time champion qualified 18th for the race and will be joining Ferrari next season following 12 years of unheard-of glory with Mercedes. Following other drivers’ penalties, he will start 16th.

After the Dane attempted to move out of the Briton’s path at the end of the first session, Hamilton recovered a bollard that Kevin Magnussen’s Haas had dislodged, leaving him stunned by how his qualifying had gone. “I’ve tried to be really present every day and more than ever because it’s the last time we’ll be racing and driving in Silver Arrows and it’s all my wins, all my success throughout my life,” Hamilton continued.

“So every moment is a special moment and I would have loved to get a podium for the guys this weekend and it just didn’t work out.”

In addition to winning 84 of his 105 total grand prix victories, Hamilton has won six of his record-tying seven world championships for Mercedes, which won eight straight constructors’ crowns from 2014 to 21.

The bollard stuck under his floor during the last four lap turns, preventing the car from operating as intended, even though he had been on track to advance to the second stage of qualifying.

“You couldn’t make it up, you really couldn’t, but it is what it is,” Hamilton stated.

“We put our all into it. I put my all into it. The vehicle was in a decent condition. Every practice went smoothly, and I spent the whole weekend ahead of my teammate. However, I believe that as a team, we struggled with timing when it came time for qualification.

“I was the last car on track and ran out of time ultimately, and then I got the bollard at the end which went under the car and I lost all downforce so it couldn’t have gone worse really.”

“I just need to apologise to Lewis and to everyone in the team for working so hard to make it a great end for him,” Mercedes team manager Toto Wolff told Sky Sports.

“With the setup we decided on for the car and to try out for next year, he was the faster guy, and we completely let him down.

“Not going sooner was a stupid error that cannot be justified. It may be a summary of our previous races with him, but this is the worst part of it since it was plain stupid. I have been pretty depressed about what has transpired.

“Our most valuable racing driver ever, the most valuable racing driver of this sport gets out in Q1 because we make a mistake and that doesn’t ruin all the legacy we have with him but I can only say sorry to him.”meeting.

He said that qualifying “couldn’t have gone worse really” in an interview with BBC Sport.