Nico Rosberg brutally mocks Lewis Hamilton straight after Abu Dhabi Grand Prix crash

Follow us on Google Discover

Lewis Hamilton crashed during the final practice session at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Saturday. It’s the third time this year he’s found the barriers in the Ferrari.

Hamilton hit the wall during practice at the Monaco GP in May and crashed out at Zandvoort just after the summer break. Here, the seven-time world champion spun on the entry to the high-speed turn nine and went front-first into the fence.

The 40-year-old had shown some encouraging pace at the start of the session but brought out the red flags with his shunt just after the halfway mark.

Hamilton missed FP1 on Friday as Arthur Leclerc stepped in to ensure Ferrari fulfilled their rookie quota for the season.

Nico Rosberg saw Lewis Hamilton trying to put his Ferrari ‘in reverse’ after crash

As the world feed cut to Hamilton’s onboard camera, Nico Rosberg saw his former teammate trying to select reverse as if he could get going again. That prompted a brutal reaction.

“Crofty, he’s trying to put it in reverse, should we tell him he’s missing a tyre?” he quipped.

Hamilton suggested over the radio that the accident was due to a mechanical issue rather than a driver error: “Something buckled at the front and snapped the rear.”

Rosberg thought the SF-25 was unsettled by striking the ground as Hamilton entered the left-hander.

“It starts on the entry already,” he observed. “It starts with bottoming as he was turning in. That already loosened up the rear, and then it just had a follow-on effect.

“He’s already loose right at the beginning. He thinks something broke.”

Damon Hill feels sorry for Lewis Hamilton after Abu Dhabi Grand Prix crash

For Damon Hill, who was commentating on the session for BBC Radio 5 Live, the rare error compounded an ‘awful season’ for Hamilton. This is his final chance to avoid going a whole year without a podium.

“What an awful season, you’ve got to feel for the guy, it’s a lot to take,” Hill said.

Hamilton is receiving encouragement from Mercedes, his former team, who clearly share the same sentiment as Hill.

However, David Croft has heard from confidantes that Hamilton remains motivated and will take the opportunity to reset during the winter.

Hamilton is the most successful driver at the Abu Dhabi GP with five wins, though Max Verstappen could equal that tally this weekend.