HOCKENHEIM, Germany -- Lewis Hamilton is convinced the car issue which saw him eliminated from Q1 in Germany started moments before he ran wide at Turn 1.
In the closing stages of the opening qualifying session, Hamilton ran wide at the opening corner and across the kerbs. He immediately encountered car trouble as hydraulic fluid started leaking from his car, forcing him to stop on track, meaning he could take no further part in qualifying despite comfortably progressing through to Q2.
When asked by Sky Sports after the session if that mistake had caused the issue, Hamilton said: "No, we use the kerb the same every lap.