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FIGHTING FERRARI FIRMLY FREE FROM THE LEWIS HAMILTON QUALI CONFUSION LOSS
Analysis of Lewis Hamilton's costly Q1 error at the Las Vegas GP. Jenson Button & Bernie Collins explain the confusion between the timing line and red lights that led to him aborting his final lap.
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. "
THE 2026 ULTIMATUM: WHY NEXT SEASON IS "MAKE OR BREAK" FOR LEWIS HAMILTON
After a winless 2025 debut, Lewis Hamilton faces a pivotal year. See why Steiner believes the 7x champ is nearing the F1 exit.
Guenther Steiner, who used to run the Haas team, thinks Lewis Hamilton might quit Formula 1 if Ferrari can't get to the top of the Driver's Championship by 2026—he thinks that season will be super important for the racing star.
Hamilton had a tough first year with Ferrari, ending up sixth in the F1 rankings with 156 points.
That was 86 points behind his teammate, Charles Leclerc, and he didn't even get on the podium once, which is a first for him in a full season.
He often said he was bummed out about how his Ferrari debut was going.
Back in November, after the Las Vegas Grand Prix, he told Sky Sports, I feel awful. This has been the worst season ever, and it just keeps getting worse no matter how hard I try. I'm trying everything I can, both in and out of the car.
Hamilton looked pretty sad a lot during the season because he couldn't really fight for race wins.
Steiner told Sports Krone, I think if Ferrari has a good car next season, Hamilton might be able to turn things around. If they are more competitive, Lewis might find his drive again. But if things stay the same, next season will probably be his last in Formula 1. He's not going to go through that again. The situation is tough for him, and you could see that in every interview. So, the next season will be key for him.
What's Hamilton saying about quitting?
When the media asks Hamilton about his F1 future, he doesn't want to talk about retiring.
At the end of the season, when someone asked him what he would say to those who think he might retire soon, the 40-year-old said, I wouldn't say anything to them. None of them have done what I've done, so they don't know anything more than I do.
Last summer, after some rumors that he might leave early, Hamilton said he's staying at Ferrari until his contract is up.
He said, For those writing stories about me thinking about not racing, I've just started here with Ferrari. I've been here for a few years, and I'm in it for the long run, so there's no question about what I'm focused on achieving with this team. There are zero doubts, so please stop making stuff up.
In 2026, everyone will still be wondering about Hamilton's future in F1, mainly if Ferrari keeps struggling with the new rules. And if Steiner is right, another year of not competing for a championship could be the end for him.
MAX VERSTAPPEN NAMED PEER-VOTED DRIVER OF THE YEAR FOR FIFTH CONSECUTIVE SEASON
Max Verstappen wins his 5th straight F1 peer award, beating champion Lando Norris. Lewis Hamilton drops out of the top 10 for the first time.
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Max Verstappen copped his fifth straight driver-of-the-year award in Formula 1's secret peer vote, even though he almost grabbed a fifth title in 2025 but didn't quite make it.
The drivers all voted in secret, except for four guys. The Red Bull driver beat out Lando Norris, who just won the world championship, for the number one spot.
The voting worked like the normal F1 points system. Drivers ranked their top 10 rivals. Verstappen got 25 points from six votes to win.
Norris, who won his first championship after a crazy season, came in second in the driver rankings for the second year running.
The McLaren driver won the title after fighting off pressure from Verstappen and his teammate, Oscar Piastri, all season long.
George Russell took third, moving up one spot from last year. The Mercedes driver had a killer season with two wins and seven more podiums.
Piastri was fourth, up one spot, even though his championship hopes fizzled out near the end. The Aussie was leading by 34 points at one point before his performance dropped off.
Charles Leclerc finished fifth, down two spots, even though he got everything he could out of Ferrari's SF-25. The Monegasque driver had seven podiums during a tough season that saw Ferrari finish fourth.
Carlos Sainz held onto sixth after a great comeback at Williams. After a rough start, the Spaniard grabbed two podiums in a strong second half of the season.
Fernando Alonso jumped two spots to seventh, and the two-time world champion had some crazy drives in Aston Martin's AMR25.
Alex Albon took eighth after his best season with Williams, while rookies Oliver Bearman and Isack Hadjar rounded out the top 10, getting props for their awesome first seasons.
Pierre Gasly almost made the list, even with 10 Q3 appearances in Alpine's tricky A525.
Lewis Hamilton, who's won seven world championships, didn't show up in the rankings, which is a first since they started doing this poll. It shows how rough his first season at Ferrari was.
The four drivers who skipped the vote were Hamilton, Nico Hulkenberg, Lance Stroll, and Yuki Tsunoda.
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