Jenson Button and Bernie Collins have expressed their backing for Ferrari following the "confusion" that arose during Lewis Hamilton's last attempt in Q1 at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The seven-time F1 champion decided to halt what might have been his final lap, mistakenly thinking he hadn't reached the timing line in time to commence a new lap, as indicated by the red lights on his dashboard.

This decision resulted in him finishing in P20, last on the grid, after clocking the slowest time in the rain-drenched first qualifying session in Las Vegas.

For the first time in his F1 career, Hamilton will line up at the back due to his pace, having prematurely exited from a crucial final chance.

It quickly became clear that he had erred amid the chaos and poor conditions, but given that he had faced a yellow flag shortly before and had briefly contacted a bollard with his SF-25, he believed it wouldn't have significantly altered his performance.

Button, who was once Hamilton's teammate at McLaren, stressed the importance of continuing to push until advised to do otherwise, which the 105-time race winner failed to do.

"Continue until you're told to slow down," the 2009 F1 champion stated on Sky Sports F1.

"You should be aware of all the rules. It can be very challenging for a driver, especially when red lights appear in front of you, giving the impression that it's finished.

"However, the timing line is before that point, and he should know this since his dashboard displays the time for the previous lap.

"In such difficult conditions, with so many distractions, he may have been relieved that it seemed over, but he lost sight of what he needed to do for his next lap."

Was Hamilton to blame?

When it was mentioned that the Ferrari pit wall would have been aware of the tight situation, Button responded, "But they can't assume he understands that the timing line differs from the red light gantry," clarifying that the timing line and start/finish line are located at different spots.

Collins defended Riccardo Adami, Hamilton's race engineer, pointing out that he made efforts to ensure his driver did not lift off the throttle.

"I just wanted to add to that a bit. I was trying to catch it during the commentary, and I listened again when Lewis went out, as it was evident from the radio that there was some confusion regarding the light," Collins mentioned.

"On the lap prior, the one where he was approaching the line, the pit wall informed him that it would be closed for one more lap, urging him to keep pushing for another attempt.
This serves as a clear signal to a driver: first, that you’re not in a safe position if they urge you to push for another lap; secondly, that it's close to the limit, but they believe it's feasible, or they wouldn't suggest it.

"He received that message earlier in the lab. Then, as he approaches the line, Lewis inquires, "Am, am I secure?"

"His engineer responds, saying, 'No, keep up the pace.'" Lewis then says, 'I say, "I see the light, light; I see the red light."' The engineer reiterates, 'No, keep going.' reiterates, 'No,''

"However, by that moment, it’s already too late. He had initially been informed—though I didn’t review everything—prior to reaching the line that it would be tight and he needed to maintain his speed.

"When he saw the red light, he thought perhaps Ferrari miscalculated the timing, or he hadn’t completed the lap in time, or other factors played into it, as Jenson pointed out.

"He believed he hadn’t made it. He immediately eased off the throttle. At that point, it’s too late; once a driver slows down, there's no use in advising them to accelerate again, because the chance to complete the lap has already slipped away. All these elements contributed to what happened. Still, I'd argue that the Ferrari pit crew had provided the necessary information.

In response to accusations of favouritism toward Hamilton, with former Aston Martin race strategist Collin supporting the team, the 15-time Grand Prix champion replied, "No."

He continued: "It's a complex situation. He’s not the first to have made such a mistake.

"But indeed, the timing line differs from the finish line. That’s something you should be aware of since the time displays on your dashboard. We are all made aware of our lap times as we cross that line. "