Lewis Hamilton Gives Blunt Response After Second Q1 Exit In A Row

It has not been a dream 2025 for Lewis Hamilton, in what is his first-ever season with Ferrari after a decade of unparalleled dominance at Mercedes.

The 40-year-old has struggled for form, sitting sixth in the championship, over 60 points behind his younger Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc.

Friday in Qatar was yet again a day to forget, with the British icon crashing out of Q1 for the second time in a row, following on from Las Vegas, where he put his car dead last on the grid.

He will hope for a performance in the sprint race that is similar in nature to his race at Vegas, where he gained 12 positions and finished eighth, but his comments to the media after sprint qualifying were not indicative of any real confidence in the car.

Hamilton admits his Ferrari car cannot go "any faster"

Hamilton is a seven-time world champion, but getting an eighth might be one title too far as he enters his forties. | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Before he even stepped out of the car, after a P18 finish that had Hamilton on the wrong side of the cutoff by almost three-tenths of a second, the seven-time champion sounded sullen.

“Ah man, the car won’t go any faster.”
Hamilton on his team radio

He was also not talkative to Sky Sports F1 after leaving his Ferrari, with his response to a question regarding how he felt about the session being a simple, and rather negative, "same as always".

Adding a somewhat humorous element to his understandably annoyed demeanor, Hamilton was able to respond to a follow-up question with a bit of sass, saying that "[at least] the weather [is] nice".

MORE: Lewis Hamilton Addresses Decision To Join Ferrari Amid ‘Worst Season Ever’

Ferrari are currently fourth in the Constructors' Championship, with exactly half of McLaren's points (378 to 756). | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

F1 commentator and ex-Aston Martin strategist Bernie Collins was sympathetic towards Ferrari's veteran star, while also questioning the situation that he unfortunately finds himself in. Speaking on Hamilton, she said:

"It is disappointing to see him so down but he will not be happy with that performance today, so what has gone wrong?"

She also posed a further question, regarding Ferrari's inconsistency on the whole, with the team looking stronger at the United States and Mexican Grand Prix, where Charles Leclerc managed a double podium, but was followed up by a double retirement in São Paulo and no podium whatsoever at Vegas.

"Why can that Ferrari work some weeks and not others?"
Collins on the Ferrari team

Hamilton's teammate Leclerc also seemed off the pace, finishing ninth - almost bottom of Q3 - and was beaten by some names fans might not have expected to be so high up, including a resurgent Yuki Tsunoda and the eternally savvy Fernando Alonso.

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