P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Hamilton Ferrari season descends into shambles
Seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton was knocked out of Q1 during Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifying, starting in 16th place for Sunday’s race. This marks the third consecutive race weekend where Hamilton has faced elimination in the opening stage of qualifying, putting him at risk of finishing the season without a podium. His struggles continued with a disappointing final sector on his last flying lap, leaving him with a starting position in the midfield.
Expressing disappointment to his race engineer, Hamilton acknowledged the challenging situation he was in, apologizing for the outcome. He now faces a tough battle to defend his sixth place in the drivers’ championship from young competitor Kimi Antonelli. Despite Antonelli’s close standing in the points and both drivers’ starting positions outside the top ten, they will strive to make progress during the race.
Hamilton’s inaugural season with Ferrari has been marred by setbacks and is far from his usual dominance in Formula 1. Looking ahead to 2026, the upcoming regulatory changes offer a glimmer of hope for a turnaround in performance, with the potential for better-suited cars aligning with his skill set. While the current design era has not yielded significant success for Hamilton, the future holds possibilities for a revival in his championship aspirations under the new rules.
