Lewis Hamilton’s last place in qualifying is historic in its own way. But there’s one detail that could have saved him from elimination in Q1
The qualifying session for the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix delivered plenty of excitement. The arrival of rain shuffled the deck, overturning predictions and expectations. On the Sin City track, an unprecedented twist occurred: for the first time in his career, Lewis Hamilton found himself last on the grid after being eliminated in Q1. Behind this result, there was not only bad luck but also a misjudgment that could have changed the outcome of his qualifying session.
What happened in Q1
We are in the final part of Q1, with Hamilton still among the drivers at risk of elimination. To make matters worse, two incidents (Bearman and Albon) bring out yellow flags, forcing the drivers on track to slow down. When Hamilton crosses the timing line, the session is still valid, but shortly afterward the red light is shown.
His race engineer, Riccardo Adami, urges him over the radio to keep pushing because there is still one flying lap available. However, the Ferrari driver interprets the red light as the end of the session and eases off, thus losing the chance to complete a final flying lap.
The crux of the matter was the misunderstanding between the timing line and the red light: the red appeared after Hamilton had already crossed the line valid for starting a new lap. The closeness of the two markers may have confused him, but it remains a decisive misjudgment. With one more lap available, Hamilton would have had the chance to get out of the danger zone and advance to Q2.
Starting from last changes the game completely. Hamilton is now faced with the task of making a comeback, but the difficult starting position risks ruining a weekend that, up to that point, could have represented a step forward for Ferrari, following the disaster in Interlagos.
Photos: Scuderia Ferrari HP
