Lewis Hamilton endured a painful new low in what has formerly been a bruising debut season with Ferrari, after qualifying dead last for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
In a dramatic and chaotic session overshadowed by heavy rain, the seven-time world champion set himself fully out of feathers on a circuit that caught out indeed the most educated motorists.
Persistent afternoon downpours had soaked the Las Vegas Strip Circuit, leaving the formerly low-grip face indeed more unfaithful than usual.
From the moment qualifying began, it became clear that conditions were primed to punish even the slightest mistake, and Hamilton was among the first big names to fall victim.
Ferrari Struggles as Hamilton Drops Out Early
While others tiptoed their way through the spray and standing water, Hamilton simply couldn’t unlock any speed at all. His Ferrari refused to get the tyres into the right window, leaving him rooted to the bottom of the timesheets and knocked out in Q1.
It marked the first time in Hamilton’s entire Formula 1 career that he had been the slowest qualifier on outright pace, a harsh and humbling statistic for one of motorsport’s greatest names.
It was also Ferrari’s first last-place start since Giancarlo Fisichella’s Abu Dhabi outing in 2009.
Hamilton Describes “Horrible” Visibility and Tyre Struggles
Over team radio, Hamilton’s frustration was clear as he said, “I couldn’t get the tyres to work.” Afterwards, he admitted the conditions were “probably” the worst he had ever experienced in Formula 1.
“That’s definitely the slipperiest it has been… I couldn’t see anything. I hit a bollard at one point,” he revealed, describing how the spray left him guessing at corner entries.
The Ferrari motorist admitted he’d been auspicious after a strong FP3, only for his expedients to evaporate within twinkles of qualifying starting.
Hamilton conceded that recovering from 20th will be one of his biggest challenges of the season.
“It feels horrible… This year is definitely the hardest. It will be really hard to come back from the 20th,” he said.
Norris Takes Pole as Rivals Falter
Hamilton wasn’t the only high-profile casualty, with Yuki Tsunoda joining him on the reverse row after also falling out in Q1.
Kimi Antonelli could only manage 17th for Mercedes, while Alex Albon survived brushing the wall to drag his Williams into 16th.
As the surface gradually dried out, Q2 passed without major shocks, though Oscar Piastri narrowly avoided elimination before scraping through in tenth.
His luck ran out in Q3, where he could only secure fifth, a result that does little to revive his fading title challenge.
At the front, Lando Norris delivered a commanding stage to take pole for McLaren. Max Verstappen locked in alternate, while Carlos Sainz produced an excellent drive to secure third for Williams, giving the platoon a lift after Albon’s troubles.
As for Hamilton, he faces an uphill battle from the very back of the grid when the lights go out on Sunday, rounding off a dramatic session that shaped the Las Vegas F1 qualifying results.
