Lewis Hamilton paused to embrace Oliver Bearman as he left the media area following qualifying at the Brazilian Grand Prix, displaying class whilst congratulating his fellow Brit on another impressive performance. The 20 year old secured eighth place for Haas after briefly emerging as an unlikely challenger for pole position.

Hamilton, by contrast, endured another disappointing Saturday. After witnessing long-time adversary Max Verstappen suffer a shocking Q1 exit, the seven-time world champion was eliminated in Q2, finishing behind Fernando Alonso and Alex Albon in the bottom five.

This marked Hamilton’s second Q2 elimination in consecutive days, having been classified 11th in Friday’s sprint shootout. The 40 year old can draw some encouragement from that outcome, however, as he fought through the field to claim seventh and secure points in the sprint.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1’s Craig Slater, Hamilton appeared downbeat. “Just the way that we had it going today,” he responded when asked about the setup.

Questioned about his chances for Sunday’s Grand Prix, he offered another pessimistic assessment, stating: “Not from where I am. That’s the weekend done, pretty much.”

Yet, after concluding his interview, Sky F1 cameras captured Hamilton approaching Bearman to offer congratulations. The youngster, coming off a career-best fourth-place result in Mexico City, had delivered an accomplished qualifying display.

The Essex-born rising star, Bearman, had a mixed experience in Brazil. He found himself in a tangle with Liam Lawson during a sprint race, which resulted in a five-second time penalty for forcing the New Zealander onto the grass as they approached Turn Four.

“It’s tough to do much in a sprint when you qualify P15, even if that one was very chaotic,” he admitted. “There’s no point in commenting on the lap one, Turn Four incident, it’s done. We weren’t expecting to get back into the points, but the car was quick, and that gives me confidence for later today in qualifying.”

Meanwhile, over at Ferrari, there was cause for celebration as Charles Leclerc secured the P3 grid slot with his SF-25 machine. “Everything is so close that it goes from being a disaster of a weekend to a really good weekend in a matter of a few hundredths,” the Monegasque driver reflected.

“I’m very happy I was able to put everything together in Q2 and Q3. That was crucial for us because everything was on the limit, and I’m satisfied with that on what has been a difficult weekend for us.”

However, on Sunday, things came undone for Ferrari. Leclerc was taken out of the race on lap six after contact from Oscar Piastri sent Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli’s car barrelling into the side of his SF-25 machine. Hamilton, meanwhile, also failed to take the chequered flag as his own dislodged front wing caused terminal floor damage.