If there was any need for a moment to sum up Lewis Hamilton’s final season for Mercedes, in what is set to be his worst F1 season, it was this gigantic slice of ill fortune in Saturday’s qualifying under the night sky in Abu Dhabi.
In need of improvement on his final lap in Q1, Hamilton looked pacy until a loose bollard flew under his car floor and stayed there, wedged, for the rest of his lap. Needless to say, it impacted his speed and he qualified third-slowest in his 246th and final qualifying session for Mercedes. He will start 16th on Sunday due to grid penalties.
In contrast, Hamilton’s former team McLaren had a dream qualifying session and are now on the cusp of their first constructors’ title in 26 years. British driver Lando Norris led home a one-two finish, with Oscar Piastri alongside him on the front row amid joyous celebrations for the papaya-clad team on the pit wall.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz is a spot behind the McLaren pair in third but Charles Leclerc, one of F1’s quickest drivers over one lap, was penalised for track limits and qualified only 14th-fastest. A 10-place grid penalty, due to exceeding his battery allocation, added insult to injury and the Monegasque will start second-last.
McLaren hold a 21-point lead in the constructors’ standings over Ferrari, and this qualifying result means they have one hand on that coveted trophy, and a first-place prize of £110m ($140m).
Still, plenty can happen in a 58-lap Formula 1 race. Nico Hulkenberg is a surprise name high up on the leaderboard in fourth, while world champion Max Verstappen starts in fifth – two spots ahead of current arch-rival George Russell in seventh.
But a collective sigh reverberated around the Yas Marina Circuit early on at Hamilton’s shortcoming. Kevin Magnussen had just dislodged the bollard when Hamilton sped into its path. From that point on, the Q1 elimination was inevitable.
A disheartening final qualifying session for Mercedes, for the best qualifier in the sport’s history. Yet the 39 year old, who is moving on to Ferrari next year, refused to be too despondent in the media pen afterwards.
“It’s just my luck, it’s OK,” he said. “I tried, we tried. The car was in a good place, maybe a podium was possible this weekend, the timing was not optimised for the session and I just ran out of time.”
Toto Wolff, with his head bowed in shock in the garage, responded over the team radio to the rogue bollard: “Lewis, that was bad.”
Norris, after claiming pole position by 0.209 seconds, admitted the result gives McLaren a “good chance” of claiming the teams title. Correction: it gives them a massive chance.
“We want to do it in style and we want to win, I want to win,” he said.
“We know what we have to do. We are staying focused but we are here to win every race possible and tomorrow we will have a good chance.”
While the drivers all desire the individual championships – and Norris was in contention for the drivers’ title until a few errors and Verstappen’s skillset took it away from him – the teams are often more motivated by the prestige and cash on offer for the constructors’ championship.
Not only is it a handsome payday – and bonuses across the team – but the winner occupies the first garage in the pit lane in the subsequent season. We already know that Red Bull, champions in the last two years, will finish third despite Verstappen’s individual title.
It is an idiosyncrasy of F1 that most fans, particularly in the modern, Drive to Survive era, support a driver as opposed to a team. Nowhere will that be more evident than next year at Ferrari, as Hamilton fans switch their Mercedes merchandise for all-out red.
TOP-10 - ABU DHABI GP QUALIFYING
1. Lando Norris
2. Oscar Piastri
3. Carlos Sainz
4. Nico Hulkenberg
5. Max Verstappen
6. Pierre Gasly
7. George Russell
8. Fernando Alonso
9. Valtteri Bottas
10. Sergio Perez
Yet there are exceptions. In McLaren and Ferrari – the two oldest teams in the sport – you have outfits with genuine fan followings in the thousands, given their illustrious histories in Formula One. Williams, struggling in second-last place in the standings in 2024, are also a team with legions of supporters.
Ferrari’s fanbase is the most famous, particularly with the scarlet-red banners and flags at the two Italian races, at Imola and Monza.
Yet this weekend, Leclerc has been on the back foot from the off, with a bout of food poisoning following Thursday night’s end-of-season dinner between the drivers.
Much will be needed from Sainz, in his final race for Ferrari, to ruffle some feathers up ahead. Oddly, the Scuderia have never won in Abu Dhabi in 15 attempts.
So the momentum lies fully with Zak Brown’s outfit. Both Ferrari, and Hamilton at the back of the pack, will likely need a safety car or two to stand any chance of making serious headway as the 2024 season concludes on Sunday.
