F1 fans were left perplexed after Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton finished almost half a second slower than his teammate George Russell at the end of the Sprint Qualifying at the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix on Friday (Nov. 29) night.
The German team was the closest challenger to the McLaren F1 team at the Lusail International Circuit as Russell was able to split the McLaren drivers to take the front row.
While the young British driver finished P2 and was less than a tenth behind Lando Norris for the pole, his compatriot Hamilton was in P7 behind Max Verstappen almost half a second off him.
F1 fans took to social media to give their reactions to Hamilton finishing in P7 behind his teammate George Russell on X, with one fan claiming:
“I trust Lewis Hamilton I don’t trust Mercedes.”
“I would be surprised Lewis came P7 but I’m not, it’s too predictable with this team of sabotagers. Thankfully, it’s all over for us next weekend.”
“Lewis Hamilton out-qualified by George Russell again.”
“The sabotages continued sadly,” wrote a fan.
“2 more races to leave this team. We’re tired,” pointed out another.
“Even in the end, this team won’t allow Lewis to do a better qualifying,” said another.
Lewis Hamilton analyzes his P7 finish in the Sprint Qualifying at Qatar
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton said he was just “slow” as he believed the Sprint Shootout at the Lusail International Circuit was no different from other qualifying sessions.
Speaking with Sky Sports, the seven-time world champion said:
“It was the same as every other qualifying, not that great. I’m just slow. Same every weekend. The car felt relatively decent. No issues. Not really much more to say. The positive is the car is fast and George should be able to shoot for pole tomorrow.
“The long run didn’t feel too bad. But, when you’re back when I am, it makes it almost impossible to compete for wins. But that’s the Sprint. I will do what I can tomorrow.”
The 39-year-old has only managed to beat George Russell on six occasions throughout the qualifying sessions in the 2024 season with only one of them coming in the sprint qualifying in six attempts.
