Mercedes
Hamilton had nothing however dangerous luck in qualifying. He was up on the time he wanted on his final run in Q1, solely to run over a bollard that rolled onto the racing line as Magnussen forward tried to get out of his method. That obtained lodged beneath his automobile, costing him time and meant in his final qualifying with Mercedes, he exited in Q1. Russell had complained about his automobile in FP3, however by some means dragged it into Q3. As soon as there he couldn’t discover the tempo to problem for the entrance row, winding up seventh.
READ MORE: Hamilton disheartened by Q1 exit in Abu Dhabi as Wolff apologises for ‘inexcusable’ and ‘idiotic’ mistake
Lewis Hamilton, 18th, 1:23.887
“Right now was actually unlucky. We’ve labored so laborious to get the automobile into a great place and it has been feeling sturdy all weekend. Sadly, our timing on the finish of Q1 wasn’t the perfect. We weren’t capable of optimise the out lap, having to push by means of site visitors. That compromised my final effort in that session; a bollard then obtained caught beneath the automobile at flip 14 and affected the ultimate few corners of the lap. To that time, I used to be degree on tempo with George and looking out good to make it by means of to Q2. It’s clearly actually irritating.
“It’s troublesome to say what would have been doable if we had made it by means of to the ultimate a part of Qualifying. We have now been trying good throughout the observe classes so I feel we might have challenged for the primary couple of rows. It’s what it’s although, and I will probably be giving it my all to finish as strongly as we are able to tomorrow. Will probably be troublesome from P17, however I will probably be making an attempt to get pleasure from it as a lot as doable and make up as many positions as we are able to.”
George Russell, seventh, 1:23.132
“It has been a wierd weekend for us as a workforce. It’s been very up and down. There’s been moments the place we’ve appeared fast after which different occasions once we’re unsure the place the tempo has gone. We’re just a little confused by that however, on my facet of the storage, we didn’t have the velocity to combat for the primary couple of rows in the present day. That’s irritating however P7 is probably going the perfect we might have hoped for in the present day. It was an actual disgrace for Lewis too. He’s been actually fast this weekend, forward of me comfortably, and I feel he would have been proper up there on the finish of Q3.
“Waiting for tomorrow, it is going to be robust to maneuver ahead. It’s maybe shocking to see the Alpine of Pierre Gasly and the Haas of Nico Hulkenberg up there, however I feel firstly they did an incredible job and secondly, I feel that their tempo this weekend is real. We may have a combat on our palms however we’ll take that on and look to finish the season as strongly as we are able to.”
Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
“We have to apologise to Lewis and everybody within the workforce who has labored so laborious to ship an important remaining weekend for him right here in Abu Dhabi. He has been fast throughout all three observe classes and was trying good for a powerful outcome tomorrow. Sadly, we completely let him down on the finish of Q1. We made the error of not sending the drivers out early sufficient. That compromised each their out laps after which their remaining push laps as they wrestled by means of site visitors. Lewis was then moreover compromised by a bollard turning into caught beneath his automobile. With out that, he would doubtless have gotten by means of, however we shouldn’t have been risking a lot in Q1.
“Will probably be very troublesome for Lewis to get again to the place he ought to have been racing tomorrow. Nonetheless, I do know he will probably be giving it completely all the pieces to take action. That’s his character and all the time has been. With George beginning P7, we can even be trying ahead, however we have to be reasonable. The vehicles forward of him have appeared fast and it is going to be difficult to make progress. Hopefully we are able to get pleasure from a greater day than in the present day although and finish the season on a excessive.”
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director
“That was a troublesome night and one that did not go the way in which we had hoped. Firstly, we are able to solely apologise to Lewis for his Q1 exit. Visitors is all the time a problem right here in Qualifying and one thing that you simply account for. Sadly, we did not get it fairly proper. Each vehicles left the pit lane in the back of the queue; with overtaking within the tunnel not allowed, many vehicles forward took the chance to kind bigger gaps to the automobile in entrance than ordinary. That left Lewis and George on the again foot and having to chop their method by means of site visitors on the out lap to make the flag. They have been then additional compromised by having lower than very best gaps to the automobile forward of them. All that stated, each have been on tempo to make it by means of to Q2 earlier than a free bollard turned caught beneath Lewis’s automobile at flip 14. That impacted him within the remaining few corners and, in an already tight session, value him a few important few tenths.
“It’s not the way in which we needed to move into our remaining race day collectively. We will probably be doing all the pieces we are able to tomorrow to allow Lewis to work his method again by means of the sphere. Combating drives are an absolute speciality of his and we all know he will probably be giving it his all to finish our time collectively on a excessive.
“On George’s facet, he has struggled tempo clever just a little extra this weekend. We might want to consider why that’s however, within the meantime, our focus is on making an attempt to make beneficial properties tomorrow. Ranging from P7 that will probably be robust. The sphere is shut, and we all know overtaking is a problem right here. Nonetheless, we’ll see what we are able to do and hope that we are able to end the yr extra strongly than we did in the present day.”
