Lewis Hamilton moved on from Q1 with a cry of distress, but still had to start far behind on the court in the sprint on Saturday. Qualifying was marked by bad weather and dropping out.

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– That’s crazy, Hamilton said on the radio as he with a poor four thousandth barely made it through from the first qualifying round in Italy on Friday night.

The Briton looked surprised that he was able to continue qualifying.

But with a bouncing car that won’t cooperate on the Imola, it’s said to stop in Q2. Thus, Lewis Hamilton must start as number 13 in Saturday’s sprint race.

That race determines the order of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Sunday.

The forecast for rain for the second qualifying round left things in the garage chaotic, and the drivers were asked to give their all to manage a good time before the rain hit.

Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz heard that – but he got too excited, lost control of the car, and hit a wall.

Thus, a good starting position for the Spaniard, who had the second best time in the fall. However, he did not start in Q3, and thus started as a number 10 on Saturday.

The rain turned the rest of Q2 into a travesty where no one wanted to risk crashing, and Mercedes drivers Hamilton and Russell never got revenge for the bad laps of Q1.

Both smoke, and have work to do from starting positions 13 and 11 on Saturday.

The last time a Mercedes car was in Q3 was in 2012.

– It is absolutely incomprehensible that this Mercedes team, which has dominated for so long, has such a big problem. It’s very bad for Hamilton who is slightly behind George Russell as well, said Viaplay commentator Atle Gulbrandsen.

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When everything had to be decided, two executions by Valtteri Bottas and Lando Norris were decisive.

Max Verstappen managed to set the best time just before the red flag following the Bottas problem, while Charles Leclerc’s round was stopped.

When he tried to improve, Norris dropped out, and qualifying was stopped.

Thus, Verstappen started in pole position in the sprint, with Leclerc slightly behind. Lando Norris and Kevin Magnussen (!) Starting from the backseat.

– It was a tough session, said a sober Verstappen.

It was also dramatic for Williams’ Alex Albon. He suddenly discovered that the brakes weren’t working optimally, and that wasn’t strange:

The rear brake on the right caught fire, and before long you could clearly see the explosion.

As such, the qualifiers are over for the British born Thai before it starts.

Sprint starts on Saturday at 4:30 PM, and you can follow it on VG Live.