Lewis Hamilton wrapped up qualifying for the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix in 20th, marking the first time a Ferrari driver has qualified last since Giancarlo Fisichella in 2009.
Hamilton, now 40, will start from the back of the grid for the first time since Brazil in 2017. Unlike that race, where he didn’t set a lap time due to a crash earlier in the session, he did put together a lap this time around – clocking a 1:57.115.
Even more surprising was how far off he was from the next slowest driver. He trailed Yuki Tsunoda by over three-tenths of a second and was nearly four seconds adrift of George Russell’s leading Q1 time.
On top of that, Leclerc also ended up ninth on Saturday after putting down a lap just under five seconds quicker than Hamilton’s effort. This performance added another layer to what is already shaping up to be an awkward storyline for Ferrari ahead of Sunday’s race.
Jenson Button suggests Lewis Hamilton missed the timing line during Las Vegas qualifying
Hamilton sounded uncertain over team radio during Q1, unsure if he had crossed the line in time to start one more lap. He did make it just before the flag, but there was confusion over whether it counted.
The red lights at the start line added to the mix-up, as they aren’t aligned with the finish line. Jenson Button believes that Hamilton may have ended his final flying lap early under that impression, indicating he didn’t realise.
Button said on Sky Sports F1 (22/11, 05:40): “[If in doubt], keep going until they tell you to slow down. I guess you should know every regulation. It’s really tricky, though, if you see red lights flick on in front of you, you think it’s over. But the timing line is obviously before that.
“And he knows that because he gets the time on the dash for the previous lap time. But when it’s that tricky out there, there’s so much going on; he’s probably kind of happy it’s over in a way.
“But he’s lost focus on what is correct for starting the next lap. [Ferrari] don’t know that he doesn’t know the timing line is different from the red light gantry.”
Davidson also noted that it was “interesting” Ferrari didn’t let Hamilton know before he abandoned his final flying lap that he still had time to complete a run, given the timing screen showed he was clear.
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Even if Ferrari had told Hamilton he could go again, Davidson questioned whether the seven-time world champion would have made it through. There wasn’t much evidence of extra speed from him during the session.
Davidson explained: “When he gets to the timing line, 100% it is good to go, it’s good to send it and do another lap. But as soon as he passes that line, it immediately goes red.
“So, it’s very hard to judge, obviously at the speeds you’re doing inside the car. But he did cross the line to open up a lap before the red lights came on. And I wonder if he’s looking at the start line, instead of the finish line. The finish line is the timing line.
“I’m not sure he would have had the speed anyway to get through. But it was clearly very close for Lewis inside the car to judge whether it was good to send it again on another lap.”
“[You] saw on the timing screens that he was safe. And somehow Lewis was unarmed with that information,” said Davidson.
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