For the first time in almost 10 years, Mercedes fail to reach Q3
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A Q3 session in Formula 1 is happening without a Mercedes car for the first time in almost 10 years. It's the first time the Mercedes team have failed to get a car into the final part of the session since Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg were at the helm in the Japanese Grand Prix taking place in October 2012.
Disaster for Mercedes
Mercedes have been struggling with the rules and regulation changes in 2022. Their car continues to have porpoising issues which is plaguing the team's progress. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will start from P13 and P11 respectively in the sprint race which will then form the grid for the 2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Carlos Sainz spun and hit the wall causing an early red flag in Q2. The track returned to green flag conditions, but rain fell on the circuit making it almost impossible for drivers to improve on their lap times. This left the two Mercedes drivers in the elimination zone.
Not bad results
Despite the poor performance from Mercedes, they have found good results in the last few race weekends. Russell remains Charles Leclerc's closest rival in the 2022 World Championship standings, with Mercedes sitting second in the Constructors' Championship. Mercedes picked up some extra points following Red Bull Racing's retirements in Australia and Bahrain.