The 39-year-old was eliminated in the first qualifying session in Shanghai.
Hamilton finished in an underwhelming 18th after a blunder saw him go too wide around a corner.
Speaking after his qualifying nightmare, he told Sky Sports: “I just struggled – it is what it is.
“This morning, George [Russell] and I had very similar cars but we are trying to experiment still and so I went one way by a long way and he went the other.
“Yeah, it didn’t work – 18th is pretty bad. S**t happens.”
Sky Sports apologised for his bad language.
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