P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Lewis Hamilton’s final qualifying session with Mercedes ended in disappointment with an early Q1 exit.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff publicly apologized to Lewis Hamilton for a critical mistake that caused the seven-time world champion to be eliminated from the Q1 session, ultimately starting in 16th place on the grid. Wolff expressed remorse for putting Hamilton in a position where he lost downforce due to picking up a bollard underneath his car, leading to interference from another car on the racing line. The team principal acknowledged the error in judgment and agreed that their decision-making process was flawed, emphasizing that they had let down Hamilton and the team. Despite the disappointing outcome of the final qualifying session together, Wolff reassured that the legacy built with Hamilton remains intact, despite the regrettable incident. The session marked Hamilton’s last in Mercedes colors before his upcoming switch to Ferrari, and Wolff underscored the importance of learning from such mistakes to ensure they are not repeated in the future.
