The revenge of the ex? Let’s see together how Carlos Sainz may have compromised Lewis’s Hamilton’s qualifying in Japan.

The Ex’s Revenge? Let’s take a look at how Carlos Sainz might have (perhaps even deliberately) compromised Lewis Hamilton’s qualifying in Japan.

Lewis Hamilton finished the Japanese Grand Prix qualifying in 8th place—a disappointing result, especially considering that his teammate, Charles Leclerc, will be starting from 4th on the grid.

Yet, behind the struggles of the seven-time world champion, the ghost of the man he replaced—Carlos Sainz—might also be lurking.

A costly case of impeding?

The Williams driver (Sainz) was penalized by the FIA for impeding Hamilton during Q2. The Spaniard’s actions cost Lewis the opportunity to do another lap to build confidence with the SF-25.

Did Sainz compromise Hamilton’s qualifying at Suzuka?

What’s more, it’s quite strange that Sainz didn’t lift off on the straight, considering his qualifying session was already over and he was only heading back to the pits.

Thinking that he deliberately disrupted the Brit might sound like a conspiracy theory, but regardless of the explanation, it’s plausible that this scenario affected car #44’s final result.

Hamilton finished his lap just 41 thousandths of a second behind Hadjar. A tiny margin—one he might have been able to make up if he had gotten that extra lap in Q2. And not only that: grabbing 7th place would have also been helpful for tomorrow’s race start, as it would have placed him on the clean side of the track—the outside line, which is ideal for tackling Turn 1.

In short, it’s clear that the seven-time world champion hasn’t yet found his best rhythm with Ferrari, but at Suzuka, the interference from his predecessor may well have influenced him…