Lewis Hamilton crashes out of US Grand Prix as miserable Austin F1 weekend gets worse
Lewis Hamilton had a qualifying nightmare and started the United States Grand Prix 17th on the grid, and finished it in a gravel trap after just two laps of the race
by Daniel Moxon · The MirrorLewis Hamilton capped off a miserable United States Grand Prix weekend by beaching his Mercedes in the gravel just two laps into the race.
The seven-time Formula 1 champion has endured a very difficult weekend in Austin. Usually so good at the Circuit of the Americas, since a promising practice session on Friday very little has gone right for Hamilton.
He qualified seventh for the Sprint, having made a mistake which he claimed denied him a shot at pole. And then he failed to make any real progress up the order before an even worse qualifying for the main race, 19th fastest and a first ever Q1 exit on American soil.
Hamilton was hoping to make swift progress on Sunday to make up for it and got a lighting start off the line. He was up in 12th by the second lap, but that was when disaster struck as he lost the rear end of his car.
The Mercedes span off track and into the gravel, coming to a stop before he hit a barrier. It meant there was little damage and he could have continued, had he not become beached - the spinning wheels of the Mercedes a sign of Hamilton's desperate attempts to get back into the race.
Speaking over the radio, it was clear that the 39-year-old knew he was responsible for the incident. "Sorry guys," he said to his colleagues back in the Mercedes garage as his miserable weekend came to an abrupt and early end.
It was one of several notable incidents during a hectic start to the Grand Prix. Hamilton's spin saw the safety car called onto the track for the first time in 10 races - the longest streak of events without an intervention from the safety car since another 10-race stretch 20 years ago.
At the front, Lando Norris had started on pole determined to keep title rival Max Verstappen behind him. But while they squabbled for position heading into the first corner, the Ferrari cars behind them looked to take advantage and Charles Leclerc came roaring past the both of them to take the lead.
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