Ferrari racing driver Lewis Hamilton was left dispirited after qualifying in ninth place for the 2025 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix.
The British driver had his first lap deleted in Q3 due to track limits before his second run was only good enough to place him just ahead of the Red Bull driver of Yuki Tsunoda.
His team-mate Charles Leclerc maximised the performance of his SF-25 to qualify in third place for the Grand Prix.
Hamilton had hoped the upgrades brought by Ferrari would reduce the deficit between himself and the Monegasque racing driver.
However, the seven-time World Champion was unable to match Leclerc in qualifying around the Bahrain International Circuit.
Afterwards, Hamilton was despondent when asked to give his thoughts on his qualifying session.
“It was pretty straightforward,” he told select media, including Motorsport Week.
He was then asked how it felt to see Leclerc up in third place, to which he offered a blunt response.
“Yeah it’s cool and the car is good enough,” Hamilton replied.
The former Mercedes driver was able to confirm that the difference in performance between the two Ferrari cars had been “resolved”.
But when asked what the next step would be for himself and the team going forward, Hamilton was left unsure.
“I really don’t know,” he said.
“I don’t know how to answer that question.”
Hamilton: Bahrain race weekend has ‘not been fun’
It has been a difficult start for Hamilton with the Italian squad, the only highlight so far being his first victory for the Scuderia, winning the Chinese GP Sprint race.
He began the season by finishing 10th in the tricky wet-weather conditions at Albert Park before finishing sixth on track in Shanghai.
Disqualification after the race was a sucker punch, as he finished the next race in Japan in seventh place before arriving in Bahrain for qualifying.
Yet it seems his performance on Saturday was the lowest point so far of his journey with Ferrari.
“It’s definitely not been fun,” he said when asked if he was feeling down after qualifying.
With Leclerc able to split the Silver Arrows duo of George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Hamilton was asked what the target for Sunday’s race would be.
“Hopefully, top five,” he added.
“I’ll try and see if I can get into the top five.”
It was undoubtedly a Q3 to forget for the Ferrari driver, but as always, there are positions to gain during the Grand Prix.
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