When Lewis Hamilton took the win in the F1 Sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix, it seemed as if Ferrari’s newest driver was on the cusp of a big breakout in red.
Since then, however, Hamilton has been off the pace and left looking for answers. That continued Saturday in Bahrain as Hamilton qualified ninth for the Bahrain Grand Prix, six spots behind teammate Charles Leclerc. And with Leclerc promoted to second following a penalty handed down to George Russell, Hamilton is set to start seven spots behind his teammate.
Speaking with the media after qualifying Hamilton offered a blunt assessment of his performance.
“I’m just not doing a good enough job on my side so I’ve just got to keep improving,” said Hamilton to the assembled written media in Bahrain. “It’s definitely not a good feeling, for sure.”
Ferrari brought a series of upgrades to Bahrain for the SF-25, including a new floor. While there was hope from the team, including Hamilton, that the upgrades would increase both downforce and performance, that has yet to materialize for the seven-time Drivers’ Champion.
Hamilton even apologized to his team over the radio after qualifying, he admitted to Sky Sports F1.
“It’s just about my performance, poor performance,” said Hamilton when asked why he apologized. “There’s no reasons, [I’m] just not doing the job.”
Still, Hamilton sounded more upbeat when assessing his chances on Sunday.
“Hopefully top five. I’ll try to see if I can get into the top five, we’ll see,” added Ferrari’s newest driver.
