After analyzing Lewis Hamilton‘s entire practice sessions on Friday, F1 TV’s Technical Analyst Sam Collins said: “Hamilton is actually a contender for pole position.” That just goes to show you that even the most detailed of mathematical calculations and predictions can amount to an absolute piece of lie. Not only has the 7-time champion gotten eliminated in Q2 at Zandvoort, but also been out-qualified by a 22-year-old American rookie.
Hamilton and Mercedes came into the Dutch GP, re-energized and locked and loaded to unleash hell onto their rivals. The Briton’s performance in the practice sessions was nothing short of commendable. He showed signs of potentially matching Max Verstappen for pole position at Zandvoort. With the analysts on his side, he looked determined to uproot the Dutchman from his high ground and dismantle his confidence. But who knew it was him whose confidence would be dismantled?
LEWIS HAMILTON IS OUT IN Q2 pic.twitter.com/tsTDh1cw2V
— WTF1 (@wtf1official) August 26, 2023
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“Lewis Hamilton’s car is looking really good under acceleration out of slow-speed corners,” was another observation that Collins produced. Forget slow-speed corners, Hamilton’s W14 wasn’t able to even match the not-so-slow but slow Williams of Logan Sargeant. Throughout 2023, the American rookie got all the criticism in the world for his lower-than-expected showings. But when he showed up, he showed up in style, leaving a 7-time champion biting the dust.
For such a poor performance, Hamilton has been bashed left and right. Let’s have a look at what the fans had to express on social media.
Fans sing “Retire” chants as Lewis Hamilton gets eliminated by Logan Sargeant in Q2 at the Dutch GP Qualifying
Till before the 2023 season, Lewis Hamilton’s arch-rival used to be Max Verstappen. First half of this year, he was reduced to fighting Aston Martin, Ferrari, and McLaren for P2. And to welcome him into the 2nd half, Logan Sargeant stood at Zandvoort with a card that read – ‘Ominous times ahead’. This mega-disappointment and humiliation at the hands of a rookie driving in a Williams did not go down well with his fans. Asking him to put his boots up is the best thing for him, Twitteratis felt. Here are some of the reactions that turned heads:
he needs to just retire. He’s so past it.
— ark (@a24115362) August 26, 2023
Just retire at this point 😭
— Migo ™ (@Utd_Migo) August 26, 2023
Guy just doesn’t have it anymore
— CowboyZales🤠 (@CowboyZales) August 26, 2023
Lets all laugh at Hamilton 😭😭😹
— Joshua33 (@joshua_mv33) August 26, 2023
In the great equaliser he’s got knocked out in Q2.
Some peoples “GOAT”— Ryan (@RyanG33A) August 26, 2023
Not one person could believe that Sargeant would pull off such a big upset and pip Hamilton out of running in Q3 by 0.054 seconds.
sargeant>hamilton unfortunately
— Swiper (@SwiperR6) August 26, 2023
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Outqualified by Logan Sargent? 🤣
— Rhyd1588 (@Draigmelyn) August 26, 2023
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If this isn’t the last straw for Lewis Hamilton, no one can predict what is. With no one to blame, putting his head in his hands and hoping for a better Sunday is all he can do.