Abu Dhabi GP: Ahead of final Mercedes race, Lewis Hamilton gets apology from Toto Wolff | Motor-sport News
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff apologised to Lewis Hamilton and the rest of the team after the seven-time World Champion finished 18th in qualification for the Abu Dhabi GP, his final as a Mercedes driver before his move to Ferrari.
It was a poor bit of luck that got Hamilton in the end. Looking good in free practice with a car that was finally looking fast, the Briton seemed poised to make it to Q2 with ease. But in his final run of Q1, the bollard of Kevin Magnussen’s Haas got stuck underneath Hamilton’s car. The incident resulted in a loss of downforce for the Mercedes and Hamilton, for whom this was supposed to be a final swansong with a team he achieved so much, was forced into the 18th spot ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
“I just need to apologise to Lewis,” Wolff told Sky Sports F1. “Also to everyone in the team that worked so hard to make it a great end for him. He was the quicker guy with that kind of setup that we chose on the car – also to experiment for next year – and we totally let him down.
“An idiotic make of not going earlier. Inexcusable. I’ve rarely been so down about what has happened. Maybe it summarises the last races we had with him but this is the worst part of it because it was just idiotic.”
Wolff was also asked whether both his Mercedes cars coming out during traffic played its part in the qualification, but he felt that both his drivers had circumvented that issue and it would have been a good qualification had it not been for the bollard.
Wolff added: “I think we were lucky that both of them (Russell and Hamilton) wrestled their way through the other traffic and maybe without the bollard it would have worked.
“But you don’t risk so much in a Q1 where we had easily the pace to make it out and our most valuable racing driver ever – the most valuable and greatest driver of this sport – gets out in Q1 because we make a make. A dilettante make, and that’s just…it doesn’t ruin all the legacy that we have with him but I can only say sorry to him.”
