F1 news LIVE: Lewis Hamilton admits frustration at Max Verstappen lapping and has Arsenal loyalty questioned

LIVE – Updated at 17:44

Lewis Hamilton may have had a “horrible” weekend at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, as the seven-time world champion conceded any hopes of winning this season’s title, but the Mercedes driver has been backed by Red Bull boss Christian Horner to “become a factor” this year.

Hamilton’s 13th place finish at Imola was one of the worst races of his 16-year F1 career. The 37-year-old struggled to pass Pierre Gasly at the back of the midfield battle and the gulf to the top of the field was underlined after he was lapped by last year’s title rival Max Verstappen. “I am out of the championship, and there’s no question about that,” Hamilton admitted, with Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff apologising to Hamilton for an “undriveable” W13 car.

It looks set to be another thrilling fight for the title but despite Hamilton ruling out his chances, Horner believes it is still too early to tell. “He hasn’t forgotten how to drive in the last four races,” he said. “So at some point they will sort their issues out and he will become a factor.”

Hamilton is also part of a bid to take over Chelsea FC as a supposed Arsenal fan, he has been warned to ‘stay loyal’ to the Gunners by some connected to the Blues. Follow all the latest F1 news and updates, below:

Mercedes continued their Formula One struggles at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix over the weekend, leaving team boss Toto Wolff admitting there’s a possibility that the new car built for the 2022 season “simply doesn’t work”.

Wolff, who labelled Sunday’s race at Imola a “low” point for the team, now acknowledges that the entire concept of the car may be the root cause of the terrible start to the season and hopes that further changes across the coming weeks might