Lewis Hamilton has admitted that Ferrari had a “very tough weekend” after struggling to compete in the Qatar Grand Prix. It comes towards the end of what he been a challenging season for the Briton, who would’ve pictured the start of his career with the Prancing Horse going very differently.
There have been struggles with the car and team strategy throughout the season, which only continued at the penultimate race in Qatar. The Sprint race saw Hamilton and Charles Leclerc finish in 17th and 13th, respectively, keeping them far away from the points positions.
Qualifying didn’t go much smoother for the Italian team either, with Hamilton knocked out in Q1, while Leclerc squeezed into Q3, but lined up 10th on the grid. Both drivers managed to climb up a few positions, but with very little impact on their overall standings this season.
Leclerc managed to finish in P8, landing him a few points, while Hamilton’s P12 finish saw some improvements, but not enough to earn him any points.
It continues what has been something of a miserable season for both Ferrari stars, who would’ve expected to be more competitive. While focus is firmly on how they can improve for 2026, the pain is clearly being dragged out over the final few races of the current campaign.
Speaking after the race, Hamilton was told how Leclerc described it as a resumption of the “disaster” the team have been faced with so far. The British driver seemed shocked at how strong his team-mate’s words were, but refused to disagree with him.
He said to the press after the Qatar Grand Prix: “He [Leclerc] said that [it was a disaster]?” before adding: “I’m trying to think of what could be worse than that word. I will just say it was a very tough weekend.”
Ferrari drivers Hamilton and Leclerc have had a woeful season (Image: Getty)
The lack of points in Qatar now leaves Hamilton fighting to keep sixth place in the World Drivers’ Championship for this season. The 40-year-old currently has 152 points to his name, but Kimi Antonelli – who replaced him at Mercedes this season – is right behind him with 150 points.
If he slipped into seventh, it would be his joint-worst finish in the championship standings, matching last season’s worst in what was a tough season with Mercedes. While it was hoped that a dream switch to Ferrari could see him reach the heights again, it has turned into something of a nightmare instead.
Speaking after the Las Vegas Grand Prix, a crestfallen Hamilton revealed how much he has been struggling, as he said: “I feel terrible, terrible. It’s been the worst season ever. No matter how much I try, it keeps getting worse. I’m trying everything, in and out of the car.”
The Briton signed a multi-year contract with Ferrari, meaning he will line up with Leclerc again on the grid for 2026. There is some hope that the team can find out what issues have been plaguing both drivers with the current model of their car, and make the appropriate changes to make them more competitive.
For now, though, focus is firmly fixed on getting the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix out of the way, to bring an end to their nightmare season so far which looks set to be Hamilton’s first ever without a podium finish.
