Hamilton Labels Mercedes 'Undriveable' After Q1 Exit.

“Hamilton Labels Mercedes ‘Undriveable’ After Q1 Exit, as Russell Grabs Front Row in Sao Paulo”

Mercedes had a rollercoaster of a qualifying session ahead of the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, with Lewis Hamilton struggling through a tough Q1 exit, while his teammate George Russell thrived in the wet conditions to secure a spot on the front row. The unpredictable weather at Interlagos contributed to this dramatic turn of events, leading to a mixed bag of emotions within the Mercedes camp.

The qualifying session was originally scheduled for Saturday but was delayed to Sunday morning due to severe weather. Even then, rain continued to play a significant role, making the track challenging for all the drivers. Unfortunately for Hamilton, the conditions, combined with what he described as an “undriveable” car, left him unable to make it beyond Q1. The seven-time world champion could only manage 16th in the session, and though he is expected to start 15th after Max Verstappen’s five-place grid penalty, it was a rare early exit for the experienced driver.

Reflecting on his disappointing result, Hamilton admitted the car was far from competitive. “Not a great day,” he said, struggling to hide his frustration. “I’m not going to be negative because it is what it is.” However, his outlook on the upcoming race was bleak. “I don’t have any hopes for the race. Just going to do what I can do,” Hamilton said. “With the car I have right now, it’s the worst I’ve ever driven, so I probably won’t be going very far with it. Maybe I’ll start from the pit lane, I don’t know, we’ll see. But it’s undriveable.”

This result comes as a significant blow for Hamilton, who has been in a fierce battle all season long, trying to get the best out of the Mercedes W15. His struggles at Interlagos were in stark contrast to those of his teammate George Russell, who thrived under the same conditions. Russell delivered an impressive lap in Q3 to claim P2 on the grid, just behind pole-sitter Lando Norris. His performance sparked memories of his first-ever F1 victory at this very track in 2022, marking Interlagos as a special venue for the young Briton.

Russell was clearly in high spirits after the session, relishing the challenge of the rain-soaked track and the energy from the passionate Sao Paulo fans. “I always love coming to Sao Paulo obviously, so it’s great memories from a few years ago,” he said. “After yesterday it was so tough just waiting, and all the fans stayed out, and honestly, this morning I was so impressed coming into the track at six o’clock. Everybody was queuing, everybody wanted to be here, and [I’m] really pleased to be lining up P2.”

The shift in the qualifying schedule due to Saturday’s weather didn’t faze Russell, who seemed to enjoy the change of pace. The early morning session reminded him of his karting days. “I loved it, to be honest. Reminded me of the karting days – waking up, having breakfast in your race suit and just going out there and driving,” Russell remarked with a grin. He even suggested that Formula 1 might want to consider making this type of schedule a more regular occurrence. “Maybe the guys need to have a bit of a think about the format moving forward, maybe this is the one – qualifying Sunday morning! It was a great session, but let’s see what we can do in the race.”

As Mercedes enters the race with their drivers starting from vastly different positions, all eyes will be on whether Hamilton can recover from his tough weekend so far and whether Russell can challenge Norris for victory from the front row.