Formula 1 surprise: Lewis Hamilton missed Q1 for the first time in five years and will start 16th in Saudi Arabia

The British driver, seven-time world champion and second last season, again showed shortcomings aboard his Mercedes. I had not been left out in the first qualifying session for five years

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It is a scene that will set a precedent and put on the table the new reality that Formula 1 is experiencing. The qualification of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the second race of 2022, exposed the irregularity that Mercedes suffers after years of hegemony: Lewis Hamilton did not pass Q1 for the first time in five years and will start in 16th place on Sunday's competition.

The British driver, seven-time world champion and runner-up in 2021, was left out of the first phase of the standings as were Yuki Tsuonda (AlphaTauri), Nicholas Latifi (Williams), Nico Hülkenberg (Aston Martin) and Alex Albon (Williams). The detail is that the first two mentioned could not compete for different mechanical problems and Aston Martin's man is not the starter, since he is replacing Sebastian Vettel who has coronavirus.

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