Wolff acknowledges Mercedes let Hamilton down in Abu Dhabi qualifying
Following a promising performance across the practice session, Lewis Hamilton endured a shock elimination in Q1, prompting Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff to say that his outfit has let the seven-time world champion down.
With the entire field having found big improvements in the closing stages of the first qualifying segment, the seven-time world champion found himself in the drop zone. He was on his final push lap, and was on course to put in a good enough time that would get him through to Q2, but he came upon a slow Kevin Magnussen in the Haas.
The Dane driver moved to the side of the track to get himself out of the way of Hamilton, but doing so, he ran over a bollard which rolled back on to the racing line. Hamilton then ran over the bollard which got stuck under his front wing which saw him lose valuable time, and he eventually was eliminated in Q1.
The unfortunate incident could have not come at a worse time as Hamilton is completing his final outing with Mercedes, and he has appeared to be much more comfortable behind the wheel of his car than in previous rounds.
Reflecting on the tough qualifying session, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has acknowledged that the Brackley-based outfit has "totally let [Hamilton] down" with its approach to Q1.
"We need to apologise to Lewis and everyone in the team who has worked so hard to deliver a great final weekend for him here in Abu Dhabi. He has been quick across all three practice sessions and was looking good for a strong result tomorrow. Sadly, we totally let him down at the end of Q1.
"We made the mistake of not sending the drivers out early enough. That compromised both their out laps and then their final push laps as they wrestled through traffic. Lewis was then additionally compromised by a bollard becoming stuck under his car. Without that, he would likely have got through, but we shouldn’t have been risking so much in Q1.
"It will be very difficult for Lewis to get back to where he should have been racing tomorrow. Nevertheless, I know he will be giving it absolutely everything to do so. That is his character and always has been.
"With George starting P7, we will also be looking forward, but we must be realistic. The cars ahead of him have looked quick and it will be challenging to make progress. Hopefully we can enjoy a better day than today though and end the season on a high," concluded the Austrian.
