The Ferrari driver will line up 12th on the grid at the Hungaroring.
Lewis Hamilton was left a frustrated and disappointed figure after being knocked out of qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix and gave a brutal message to his Ferrari team after stepping out of the cockpit.
Hamilton is in his first season at Ferrari after stunning the F1 world by leaving Mercedes at the end of 2024 to move to the sport’s most famous and successful team.
Ferrari are F1’s most storied and biggest squad with the Scuderia having won 16 Constructors’ Championships and 15 Drivers’ Championships – and indeed is the only team to have contested every year of the World Championship.
Hamilton is a seven-time world champion after winning six titles with Mercedes and his first one with McLaren in 2008, and the 40-year-old has headed to Ferrari to end the Scuderia’s success drought.
Kimi Raikkonen winning the 2007 Drivers’ Championship is the last time a Ferrari driver won the title, while the team last won the Constructors’ Championship in 2008.
After finishing runners-up in the Constructors’ Championship last season to McLaren, second will once again be the best the Italian team can manage this campaign after the Woking team have more than double their points at this stage.
And Hamilton has endured another difficult weekend for Ferrari at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Hamilton was knocked out in Q2 and will line up for tomorrow’s Grand Prix at the Hungaroring in 12th.
While Charles Leclerc, Hamilton’s Ferrari teammate, secured pole position ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, Hamilton endured a tough qualifying session, getting knocked out early.
Leclerc has clearly outperformed Hamilton this season, racking up five podium finishes. In contrast, Hamilton’s best results have been three fourth-place finishes, though he did take victory in the Sprint Race in Shanghai. Still, neither driver has managed to win a full Grand Prix this year.
Despite the disappointment, Hamilton showed his usual class by pausing to sign an autograph for a young fan shortly after stepping out of his car. However, his frustration was evident when he later spoke to the media.
After his early exit, Hamilton could be heard on the team radio saying “every time, every time.” Asked about the comment, he admitted it was aimed at himself and didn’t hold back in criticizing his own performance.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Hamilton said bluntly: “I’m useless, absolutely useless. The team’s doing fine — the car’s on pole — so maybe it’s time they think about changing the driver.”
Leave a Reply