Lewis Hamilton endured a rare and painful qualifying session on Friday, securing 20th place for the Las Vegas Grand Prix—marking the first time in his Formula 1 career he has started from the back purely on pace.
The Mercedes driver struggled through a stormy Las Vegas Strip, citing extremely poor visibility from spray and heavy rainfall.
He even struck a bollard during a flying lap, leaving him unable to get the most from his car.
Hamilton clocked a best lap of 1:57.115, well behind pole-sitter Lando Norris, who excelled in the wet conditions.
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Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen completed the front rows.
“Honestly, I thought it was going to be a great day, but it turned out to be the worst,” Hamilton said. “So it obviously can’t get much worse than that. I just couldn’t get temperature into the tyres and had a lot of understeer. Feels horrible.”
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff remained composed, saying, “It’s a setback, but Lewis thrives in adversity. We’ll work hard to recover during the race.”
With limited overtaking opportunities on the street circuit, Hamilton faces a formidable challenge as he attempts to climb through the field under the Las Vegas lights.