Saturday’s qualifying in Qatar was crucial to the outcome of the Formula 1 drivers’ title race with Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen desperate to keep their challenges to Lando Norris alive

View Image

Lewis Hamilton suffered another humiliating qualifying result(Image: Getty Images)

Another qualifying session, another grim experience for Lewis Hamilton. Never has a Formula 1 driver ever looked more ready for the end of a season than the seven-time champion who looks a long way from those glory days as his Ferrari career continues to produce nothing but disappointment and frustration.

For the second day in a row, Hamilton’s participation in a qualifying session ended at the earliest opportunity. Like in Sprint qualifying on Friday night, the 40-year-old ended the first part of the session 18th on the timesheets and eliminated. It was also his second Q1 exit in as many Grands Prix, having qualified 20th and dead last in Las Vegas a week earlier.

He is only the third Ferrari driver to ever suffer a Q1 exit at consecutive Grands Prix. The other two on that list, Luca Badoer and Giancarlo Fisichella, were not full-time racers for the Scuderia and only got the call-up to drive because Felipe Massa was injured in the 2009 season.

Hamilton did at least get a small boost, rising one place to 17th in the final qualifying classification. That was because of a five-place grid penalty for Gabriel Bortoleto, who was 14th fastest in the Sauber, carried over from the Las Vegas race last weekend in which he crashed out and could not serve the time penalty he was given for causing that collision with Lance Stroll.

He was not the only frustrated big name who found themselves in the bottom five. Max Verstappen could have done with team-mate Yuki Tsunoda qualifying as high as possible to assist in keeping his drivers’ title bid alive, but will get no help from the Japanese who was only 16th, out-qualified by Pierre Gasly in the Alpine.

To be fair, the Frenchman looked on-it throughout the session, especially compared to team-mate Franco Colapinto who was 20th and dead last. But Gasly found pace in his Alpine and used to it book his place in the top 10, sparking a jubilant radio message when his ticket to Q3 was rubber-stamped.

Charles Leclerc also made it safely through, which was something of a miracle in itself considering on-board footage showed he was constantly wrestling with his Ferrari. And the car finally won on his first lap of Q3 when he was thrown into a violent spin and was lucky that there no walls nearby to slam into. When he did complete a lap, it was the slowest of all the drivers participating in Q3.

Oscar Piastri took pole in a dramatic climax to the session which saw Lando Norris make a mistake on his final flying lap and fail to make it to the line in time to start a new one. It opens the door for the Aussie to keep his championship challenge alive as he must avoid being beaten by his team-mate by four or more points.

Norris will have to start on the dirty side of the grid as a result and will also have to worry about what his behind him on the run to the first corner as well as ahead, with his other championship rival Verstappen third on the grid. George Russell was fourth quickest ahead of rookie team-mate Kimi Antonelli who impressed again.