Hamilton knocked out of qualifying in Q1 for the Chinese Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton has been knocked out of qualifying in Q1 for the Chinese Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver finished second in the sprint race earlier in the day and even briefly led at the Shanghai International Circuit, but the seven-time World Champion's joy suddenly drops away.

Hamilton makes a mistake

Hamilton lost six-tenths compared to his teammate George Russell in the final sector. The 39-year-old locked up going into the hairpin and lost a lot of time. This means Hamilton will start the Chinese Grand Prix from P18. 

Hamilton has started from 18th twice before. Both of those occasions happened in 2009, but one of them included a five-place penalty due to a gearbox change. The British driver spoke about making changes to his car after the sprint race. Hamilton said on the team radio: "Sorry guys."

Meanwhile, Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez only just made it through to Q2. The Mexican finished 15th fastest in the opening session of qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix.