Hamilton ends Las Vegas qualifying last as Ferrari struggle in wet conditions

Lewis Hamilton said it can't get much worse after qualifying last for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The seven-time world champion's result marked the first time in his 19-year Formula 1 career that he finished a session last on pace.

He battled in wet conditions, a track where he has produced some of his greatest wins, and was 2.301 seconds slower than team-mate Charles Leclerc in Q1.

It's another low point in Hamilton's first season with Ferrari, which he described as a nightmare after retiring from the Sao Paulo Grand Prix two weeks earlier.

He is yet to stand on Ferrari's podium this season, though he won the sprint in China in March.

“I don't really have words for it,” he said. “It's obviously not good enough. I just couldn't get temperature into the tyres, had a lot of understeer and I think one of my front brakes was glazed, so I was really struggling to stop in the corners.”

“It's very annoying, of course, because in FP3 the car felt awesome and I thought it was going to be a great day and it turned out to be the worst. It can't get much worse than that.”

Qualifying struggles in wet conditions

Hamilton had been fifth fastest in a wet-to-dry third practice that ended with drivers on slick tyres. But he was uncompetitive from the outset in qualifying, as the extreme wet tyres were the correct choice for the first two sessions.

Trying to make up enough time on his final lap to reach the second session, he was hindered by a yellow flag in the last sector, forcing him to back off. He crossed the line just after the chequered flag ended the session, missing a final flying lap.

“I got yellow flags in the last corner and coming into Turn 17 there were yellow flags,” Hamilton said, “so I had to lift and when I came to the line there was red. It was very slippery and the first set of tyres didn't work for us and I just struggled to generate the heat in the tyres for some reason.”

“It's a shame because the guys have done such a great job and the car was feeling awesome in FP3 and I really felt like we had good pace, but then the rain came. There's not a lot to say, to be honest.”

What’s next for Ferrari in Las Vegas

Ferrari will look to bounce back in the main race as the season continues in Las Vegas. Hamilton is chasing his first podium with the team.

Key takeaway: Rain and tyre-heat issues left Hamilton on the back foot as Ferrari's form in wet conditions remained uncertain. BBC Sport

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