Lewis Hamilton faced a tough qualifying session for Ferrari at the Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday, starting the race in ninth place, a stark contrast to his teammate. Charles Leclerc, on the other hand, seemed to benefit from Ferrari’s upgrade package, securing third on the grid, just three-tenths behind McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and George Russell.
Hamilton, however, was a concerning six-tenths slower than his teammate. He was also overtaken by Williams driver Carlos Sainz—the driver he replaced at Ferrari—towards the end of Q3.
Although Hamilton had hoped for progress, starting from P9 marks his worst qualifying result of the season. His first Q3 lap was canceled due to a track limits violation, and he couldn’t come close to the car’s potential with his second attempt.
Lewis Hamilton sincerely apologizes to Ferrari after Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying
After the chequered flag, Hamilton inquired with Ferrari race engineer Riccardo Adami about his starting position on the grid. He sounded dejected upon hearing the response.
He refrained from blaming the car for his disappointing performance. The seven-time world champion had promised to deliver a better result after a lackluster race in Japan. “I’m sorry, guys. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry,” he said.
Hamilton’s Sprint pole and win in China are now fading into the past. Following his 19-5 loss to Russell last season, many doubted whether he could match Leclerc’s qualifying prowess.
Hamilton’s Sprint pole and win in China are now fading into the past. Following his 19-5 loss to Russell last season, many doubted whether he could match Leclerc’s qualifying prowess.
Lewis Hamilton is almost operating a “ghost” Mercedes after the Ferrari upgrade
Karun Chandhok observed that Hamilton didn’t seem content throughout the weekend. Although Ferrari isn’t rushing into panic mode, the off-season excitement is quickly waning. Fred Vasseur—who previously worked with Hamilton in the junior ranks—might now need to rely more on his people skills. The 105-time race winner appeared to have lost confidence in his one-lap pace last year, and Ferrari must avoid a similar decline this time.
Wrapping up the Q3 top 10
: OSCAR PIASTRI (MCL) 1m29.841s
- 2: George Russell (MER)
- 3: Charles Leclerc (FER)
- 4: Kimi Antonelli (MER)
- 5: Pierre Gasly (ALP)
- 6: Lando Norris (MCL)
- 7: Max Verstappen (RBR)
- 8: Carlos Sainz (WIL)
- 9: Lewis Hamilton (FER)
- 10: Yuki Tsunoda (RBR)
F1 tech expert Sam Collins suggests that Ferrari’s Bahrain updates were inspired by the 2022 Mercedes. He points out that the aerodynamics beneath the wing mirror resemble the W13. Hamilton once described driving that car as if there were a ‘ghost’ in the cockpit at times. While Ferrari has taken a risk by adopting one of its features, it’s clearly proving effective for Leclerc
