Hamilton Says Ferrari Needs Driver Change
Hamilton’s Hungarian Struggles: “Absolutely Useless” Admission Follows Q2 Exit as Leclerc Claims Surprise Pole
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Lewis Hamilton has openly admitted to feeling “absolutely useless” and suggested Ferrari might need a driver change after a disappointing 12th place qualifying finish for the Hungarian Grand Prix. This stark self-assessment comes as his teammate, Charles Leclerc, secured a surprise pole position at the Hungaroring.
A Season of Disappointment for Hamilton
Hamilton’s highly anticipated move from Mercedes to Ferrari has, thus far, failed to deliver the blockbuster results many expected. Outside of a sprint race victory in China, his debut season in red has been marked by a series of setbacks, with his latest qualifying performance at the Hungaroring representing another important blow.
The seven-time world champion, who holds a remarkable record of eight wins and nine pole positions at the Hungarian circuit, found himself eliminated in Q2. This follows a similarly challenging qualifying session at Spa-Francorchamps the previous week, where he could only manage 16th on the grid.
The Growing Qualifying Gap
The statistics paint a clear picture of Hamilton’s struggles relative to his new teammate. He has now been out-qualified by Leclerc in 10 out of the 14 rounds contested this season, trailing the Monegasque driver by a considerable 30 points in the drivers’ standings.
In a candid and astounding admission to Sky Sports promptly after his qualifying session, Hamilton stated, “It’s me every time. I’m useless,absolutely useless. The team have no problem. You’ve seen the car’s on pole. So we probably need to change driver.”
Following his failure to advance to Q3, Hamilton was visibly dejected, emerging from his cockpit and walking towards the Ferrari motorhome with his gloves held in front of his visor, seemingly attempting to shield himself from the glare of the waiting media.
Extended Podium Drought Looms for Hamilton
hamilton’s low grid position in Hungary suggests his challenging run without a podium finish is highly likely to extend to 14 consecutive races. This is a stark contrast to his career trajectory, as he had never previously gone more than 10 rounds into a season without securing a top-three finish.
Leclerc’s Unexpected Triumph
Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc delivered a stunning performance to snatch pole position, defying pre-qualifying expectations.Championship leader Oscar Piastri and his McLaren teammate Lando Norris, who were widely tipped to battle for the top spot, ultimately qualified in second and third respectively. Leclerc edged out Piastri by a mere 0.026 seconds, with Norris a further 0.015 seconds behind the Australian. George Russell secured fourth place for Mercedes.
Leclerc himself expressed surprise at his qualifying success, admitting, “Today I don’t understand anything in Formula One. Honestly, the whole qualifying was extremely challenging. When I say extremely difficult, it’s not exaggerating. It was difficult for us to get to Q2, it was difficult for us to get to Q3. In Q3, the conditions changed a little bit. Everything became a lot trickier and I knew I just had to do a clean lap to target third. At the end of the day,it’s pole position. I definitely did not expect that. Honestly, I have no words. It’s probably one of the best pole positions I’ve ever had. It’s the most unexpected,without a doubt.”