MONDAY MORNING DEBRIEF: How Hamilton expertly turned a P16 starting slot into a P4 finish in his farewell Mercedes race


Lewis Hamilton was on his way to comfortably clearing Q1 in Abu Dhabi qualifying – faster in the first two sectors than team mate George Russell, just as he had been throughout practice – before Kevin Magnussen’s Haas threw a bollard in his way.
That defined Hamilton’s whole weekend on what was his Mercedes farewell, leaving him to start 16th on the grid on a weekend when the W15 seemed to be working well.
Next Up
Related Articles
Inside Liam Lawson's life away from the track
5 things we learned from the first half of 2026
Newey assesses Aston Martin’s chances of keeping Alonso
Our writers reflect on the 2026 season so far
F1 legends share their thoughts on the 2026 season so far
UnlockedAsk Max Verstappen a question in our exclusive reader Q&A
