Lewis Hamilton Admits Struggles After Qatar Qualifying Setback

Lewis Hamilton expressed frustration after qualifying seventh for the sprint race at the Qatar Grand Prix, acknowledging his struggles in his final season with Mercedes. Reflecting on his performance, Hamilton remarked, “I’m just slow. Same every weekend,” despite finding no issues with the car which he described as “relatively decent.” Hamilton, the record-holder for 104 F1 pole positions has faced difficulties this season against teammate George Russell.

In 22 races including six sprint events, Hamilton has out-qualified Russell only six times with a 5-17 deficit in standard qualifying sessions. On average, Russell has been 0.16 seconds per lap faster over the season—a stark contrast to Hamilton’s career dominance over previous teammates. This marked the first time Hamilton has been consistently outpaced by a teammate over a season. When asked if the issue was more than just his driving, Hamilton responded, “Who knows? I’m definitely not fast anymore.”

Hamilton’s struggles come as he prepares to join Ferrari next season where he will partner Charles Leclerc, considered one of F1’s quickest drivers in qualifying. Despite his personal difficulties, Hamilton highlighted positives, noting the car’s speed and Russell’s potential to secure pole in upcoming sessions. Friday’s qualifying set the grid for Saturday’s sprint race while a second session later that day will determine the grid for the grand prix.

Lewis Hamilton acknowledged the challenge of competing for wins starting from further down the grid but pledged to give his best effort. Hamilton’s underwhelming performance underscores a challenging final chapter with Mercedes, a team with which he secured six of his seven world titles, as he looks ahead to a fresh start at Ferrari in 2024.