Mercedes doesn't rule out Hamilton dropping out again in Q1: 'Run a risk'

For Lewis Hamilton, the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix was one to forget quickly. He chose a slightly too extreme setup, but Mercedes says they have learned from it. For now, however, a repeat of the bad performance is not excluded.

Misjudgment by Mercedes

At the start of the 2022 Formula One season, it is Ferrari and Red Bull Racing who lead the field, with Mercedes further behind. The German team won the last eight world constructors' titles, but does not seem to have any claim to them this year. In Jeddah, Hamilton did not even get through Q1.

''We don't understand the car very well right now. We are always exploring the setup with Lewis to find a direction that brings performance. From Friday to Saturday we found a good direction that he could try in the third free practice, but then we went one step further in qualifying and that proved to be a step too far,'' says Andrew Shovlin in the F1 Race Debrief of Mercedes.

No confidence with Hamilton

As a result, Hamilton had no grip at all at the rear of his car in qualifying, which meant he turned into corners with little confidence. The technical director acknowledges that this did little good for Hamilton's confidence, but Shovlin does believe that it helped Mercedes a lot.

''In the end, we went just a little bit too far in that, but it was a learning experience. The problem now is that the car is not fast enough and if we don't get it in a perfect 'window', then we are at risk in sessions like that. So we have to make sure we improve the car quickly,'' concludes Shovlin.