Lewis Hamilton “lost focus” claim made after humiliating qualifying

Lewis Hamilton “lost focus” on his way to suffering a humiliating qualifying at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Jenson Button has claimed.

Seven-time world champion Hamilton qualified 20th and last on outright pace for the first time in his F1 career during a wet qualifying session in Las Vegas.

Hamilton blamed his shock Q1 exit on a miscommunication after seeing red lights as he took the flag, but  2009 world champion Button believes his former teammate made a mistake.

“I guess you should know every regulation. It’s really tricky as a driver if you see red lights flashing in front of you, you think it’s over,” Button told Sky Sports F1.

“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.

“When it’s that tricky out there and there’s so much going on, he’s probably glad it’s over in a way. But I think he’s lost focus on what is correct for starting on the next lap.”

Asked if he would defend Hamilton, Button replied: “No. It’s a tricky one and he’s not the first one that’s probably made this mistake.

“But the timing line is a different line to the gantry and you should know that because the time comes up on your dash. We all get told what our lap times are when we cross that line.”

Analysing the incident on the SkyPad, former F1 driver Anthony Davidson said: “I feel personally like he missed a valid push lap there.”

A defence for the Ferrari pit wall

Fellow Sky Sports F1 pundit and former strategist Bernie Collins defended the Ferrari pit wall.

“It was clear from team radio there was a bit of confusion with the lights,” Collins explained. “On the lap before, the pit wall does tell him it’s going to be tight for one more lap and to keep pushing to get that lap.

“So that’s clear indication to a driver; one that you are not safe, if they tell you to keep pushing to get another lap, and two; it’s tight to get to the line. But they think it’s possible otherwise they wouldn’t tell you that. So he was told that earlier in the lap.

“When he crosses the line, Lewis says ‘am I safe?’ His engineer says ‘no, keep pushing’ and Lewis says ‘I got the red light, I got the red light’ and the engineer comes on again and says ‘no keep pushing’.

“But at that stage it’s too late. He was given, before he got to the line, the information that it was going to be tight and he needed to keep pushing. Then when he got the red light he assumed that maybe Ferrari got the timing wrong, or he didn’t make the flag.

“He thought he didn’t get and he instantly lifts off. Then it’s too late. As soon as a driver lifts off, there’s no point telling him to push again because he’s already lost the lap.

“All of those things went together but to defend the Ferrari pit wall, I think the information was there.”