Lewis Hamilton has been open about his ongoing frustrations with qualifying, and his performance in Jeddah only added to the growing list of struggles this season.
The seven-time world champion, driving for Ferrari, could only manage a disappointing P8 finish during Saturday’s qualifying session for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
This marks yet another weekend where Hamilton has fallen short in comparison to his Ferrari teammate, Charles Leclerc, who secured the fourth-fastest time.
Leclerc Outperforms Hamilton Again
It’s becoming a familiar pattern for Hamilton. With Leclerc finishing ahead of him in four of the five qualifying sessions this year, Hamilton’s only victory over the Monegasque driver came during the Chinese Grand Prix.
While Hamilton’s results in the driver standings aren’t catastrophic—he’s only seven points behind Leclerc—the gap in qualifying performance is difficult to ignore.
Despite this, Hamilton’s race results have generally been stronger than his qualifying performances.
He won the sprint race in Shanghai, reminding everyone that he still has the speed and endurance to fight over a race distance.
Hamilton’s Reflections on the Weekend Struggles
After the qualifying session in Jeddah, Hamilton couldn’t hide his exhaustion as he addressed his ongoing qualifying struggles, which have been a recurring issue since his final season with Mercedes.
In 2024, his teammate George Russell out-qualified him by a significant margin, with Hamilton finishing behind Russell in 19 of the 24 Grand Prix qualifying sessions and in five of the six sprint races.
“Qualifying was challenging, as always,” Hamilton admitted. “I’ve been nowhere all weekend—13th in almost every session.
Honestly, I feel grateful to have made it to Q3 and finished P7. It wasn’t a spectacular last lap, but we’ve made improvements throughout the weekend.
We could’ve done better with the final lap, but I’m still grateful to be in the mix.”
Hamilton’s Optimism for Race Day
Despite his frustrations, Hamilton remains hopeful that his race performance will once again make up for his lackluster qualifying.
When asked if he thought he could turn things around in Sunday’s race, the 40-year-old veteran chuckled and said, “Praying, more like.”
He admitted that he’s struggling to bond with the car, especially when it comes to one-lap pace, but he’s not ready to give up.
“Trying to connect with this car over a single lap has been difficult,” Hamilton explained. “But we don’t give up.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way. We keep pushing and keep trying. We have great support, so we just need to keep working hard.”
A Legendary Driver Faces Uncertain Times
For a driver who holds the record for the most pole positions in Formula 1 history, with 104 to his name, it’s puzzling to see Hamilton struggle with qualifying.
His most recent pole came at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, where he eventually finished P4. Currently sitting seventh in the drivers’ standings, Hamilton is already 52 points behind the championship leader, Lando Norris.
Despite the setbacks, Hamilton remains determined.
The road ahead might be difficult, but as always, he’s prepared to keep fighting for the top.