Lewis Hamilton faced an extremely difficult qualifying session in the wet conditions of Las Vegas, and he will start the race from last place. The seven-time World Champion finished only in twentieth position, a surprising outcome after a chaotic session filled with mistakes and unpredictable moments on the slippery street circuit.
Hamilton was knocked out in Q1 and ended the session as the slowest driver, almost three seconds behind his teammate Charles Leclerc, who comfortably progressed through the first segment of qualifying without any issues.
His decisive lap began badly just seconds before the actual attempt. As highlighted by Sky, while exiting Turn 14, the Ferrari driver clipped a trackside cone placed at the edge of the racing line. The contact disrupted the preparation of his flying lap and delayed his entry across the start-finish line for his final chance. In practice, that moment cost him the margin he needed to start the lap in optimal conditions.
Hamilton last in Las Vegas qualifying: the reason behind the Q1 elimination
The final moments of Q1 were also marked by unclear communication between Lewis Hamilton and his race engineer, Riccardo Adami. Lewis Hamilton asked over the radio: “Are we safe?” Adami replied: “Keep pushing.” A few seconds later Lewis Hamilton said: “I saw the red lights,” referring to the signal indicating the end of the available time. Adami stepped in again: “No, push!”
Believing there was no time left, Lewis Hamilton aborted the lap while the team was urging him to continue. The confusion ultimately ruined his last meaningful attempt.
After Q1, Lewis Hamilton explained the main difficulty he faced. “I couldn’t get the tyres to work,” he said. The SF-25 was unable to bring the tyres into the correct operating window in the wet. The cold track surface and constantly changing conditions made everything even more complicated.
Between the cone clipped in the corner, the unclear communication on the radio and the lack of grip, Lewis Hamilton never had the chance to complete a competitive lap. It is a heavy result for Ferrari, which now faces a demanding recovery on race day in Las Vegas. Charles Leclerc will start further ahead, while the Briton will have to build his race from the very back of the grid.
