Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton cut a very despondent figure after the seven-time world champion endured a torrid weekend at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, which was won by arch Red Bull rival Max Verstappen.
Ultimately, it was a deeply frustrating weekend for Hamilton as he was unable to build on his rather surprising third-place finish that he nicked in the first race of the season last week in Bahrain. The Brit mightily struggled with his car all week, and put in one of the worst qualifying performances of his career on Saturday.
Hamilton could only qualify in P16 as he was eliminated in the first round of qualifying for the first time since the 2017 Brazilian Grand Prix. His disappointment was compounded by the fact that teammate George Russell qualified in sixth.
The 37-year-old got off to a solid start once the race began and he moved through the field in style on hard tyres, finding himself as high as sixth before a bizarre set of circumstances derailed his comeback. Daniel Ricciardo and Fernando Alonso suffered engine issues and broke down by the entrance to the pit-lane, and it meant Hamilton could not stop for fresh tyres.
When the virtual safety car ended, Hamilton finally came in but dropped to 12th and could only make up two places in the final nine laps. He ended up limping home to finish 10th, taking home a consolation point while Russell finished P5.
Post-race footage has emerged of Hamilton in Parc Ferme looking completely gutted after exiting his car. The superstar crouched over with his hands on his knees and was clearly upset about his performance and final position.
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Hamilton expressed concerns with the car after the race as his disappointment was apparent. He said: "We’re still really down on speed. It’s not just one fix, it’s several things.
"Right now, we’re not fighting for the top step. We’re so far off the guys up ahead. We’ve got a lot of work to do.
"I don’t particularly feel like we have made improvements. All I know is that I couldn’t keep up with the Haas in the end."
The one point for Hamilton puts him in fifth place in the Drivers’ Championship, already 29 points behind leader Charles Leclerc of Ferrari. Hamilton was defiant though, adding: "I know I’ve got a great team and we’ll just keep our heads down and try to improve."
The Australian Grand Prix is set to be absolutely crucial for Hamilton’s quest to secure the elusive eighth world championship, which would take him clear of Michael Schumacher with the most in F1 history. Another below-par performance will see the Brit slip down the table - and his title hopes could move further out of reach.
Meanwhile, Verstappen made a stunning late overtake on Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to win the race at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. The world champion intelligently waited to avoid passing Leclerc before the DRS zone and spectacularly passed his rival to bounce back from his DNF in Bahrain last weekend.
Carlos Sainz went on to secure P3 - his second successive podium after finishing behind teammate Leclerc last week - ahead of Sergio Perez. It was a heartbreaking turn of events for the Mexican after he secured the first pole position of his career only to suffer the consequences of pitting before a safety car.
The 22-race 2022 campaign - which is expected to return to 23 races in the near future once a Russian Grand Prix replacement is found - continues with the Australian Grand Prix on April 10.
