In an unfortunate Qualifying session at the Hungarian GP, Lewis Hamilton finished 12th, a result that left the driver in low spirits.
Lewis Hamilton’s weekend was off to a decent start, with a fifth in FP1, sixth in FP2 and an improvement to fourth in FP3.
Throughout all three free practice sessions, he managed to maintain a four tenths of a second gap to his teammate Charles Leclerc. But with the tight margins, he would need to find more time to secure a good qualifying result.
As qualifying for the Hungarian GP began, Lewis Hamilton set a strong benchmark lap in Q1. His first lap placed him three tenths behind Oscar Piastri in the lead McLaren and two hundredths away from the McLaren of Norris. By the end of Q1, he had tumbled down to P14, before his final lap placed him ninth.
The struggle, unfortunately, resumed in Q2 as he tumbled down to the drop zone. His final lap needed to be significantly better to make it through to Q3, for the first time since Silverstone.
Sadly, the Ferrari driver only managed to improve to eighth, and as the last few drivers came over the line, he fell to 12th and was therefore out in Q2.
“I drove terribly.”
Speaking to media after the session, Hamilton appeared to be visibly disheartened. When asked about the change in performance between free practice and qualifying, seven-time world champion answered dejectedly, “I’m just useless. It’s just, I drove terribly. It is what it is”.
Since his move to Ferrari this season, Hamilton has had a difficult time delivering consistent results in his new car.
Qualifying has been particularly challenging. With Q3 finishes in both the Sprint and Feature Race Qualifying last weekend at the Belgian GP, he would’ve hoped to continue his run of form in Hungary.
However, today’s result was not the encouragement needed to put the last weekend behind him. When asked whether something in the car had changed during qualifying, he answered, “Nothing changed.”
Hope remains on the other side of the garage
In a post-session interviews with Sky Sports, Hamilton’s low-spirited tone persisted. He highlighted the success of team-mate Charles Leclerc who secured an unprecedented pole-position ahead of Sunday’s race.
“The team have no problem. You’ve seen the car’s on pole. “So they probably need to change driver”.
It has undoubtedly been a challenging season for Hamilton, who has had to adjust to an entirely new team. And with that, new specifications, personnel and culture.
However, despite the unfortunate qualifying result, hope remains for Hamilton. Last weekend at the Belgian GP, he fought back from 18th to finish seventh. If he can replicate the same resilience, all is certainly not lost.
