Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion, described his Mercedes ride as “undrivable”, on Saturday, after he qualified in 14th place on the grid in Sunday’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. 

Speaking to the team, Hamilton said “Of course, I am very disappointed”, and added, “We have a serious issue – something in the set-up – and it was looking good in P3 (practice) so I tried to progress further in a similar direction, but maybe went too far. The car was so nervous it was undrivable”, AFP reported.

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This has been the first time since the 2017 Brazilian Grand Prix, where Hamilton crashed, that he’s been unable to move forth from the Q1 portion of a qualifying session. Hamilton had previously met with failure in 2009 in Britain, but due to reasons related to speed and performance. 

Hamilton, who has a record of 103 poles, in his career, began the inaugural Saudi Arabian race in pole position in December 2021. 

George Russell, Mercedes teammate and fellow Briton, who qualified sixth also conceded that he was struggling with the new car design, which has been modified to meet current regulations. 

Russell said, “For the team, it’s not a good day. We don’t have a handle on the car at the moment and it has been inconsistent. We are fighting for such a small window (of performance).”

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Hamilton, too, seemed unsure if he can deliver a trademark performance after starting from the back of the field. The racer commented, “It’s the same car that I had in qualifying so I don’t anticipate moving very far forward, but I’ll give it everything”, AFP reported. 

He also considered breaking parc ferme regulations so Hamilton could make alterations to the car and begin from the pit lane. The British knighted Formula One racer said “Maybe I’ll start from the pit lane and change the car again to make sure it doesn’t handle the way it just did today. For sure, there is something wrong, but I don’t know what it is so I can’t comment on it. I just had no rear end. It was just too loose. I just apologise to my team because everyone works so hard and when you don’t deliver for them it’s just gutting”.