Lewis Hamilton, who took pole last season at the Jeddah circuit, was eliminated in Q1 on Saturday, during the qualifying session for the 2022 edition of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The Briton, driving his Mercedes, finished with the 16th fastest time of the session, 1”488 from the author of the best time, Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), and two tenths from Mick Schumacher (Haas), the last qualified in Q2. The seven-time world champion also finished well away, almost seven tenths, from his new teammate, George Russell, 4th.
It had been 83 Grands Prix since Hamilton had been eliminated so early in a qualifying session. The last time was at the 2017 Brazilian GP, following a track excursion.