Lewis Hamilton Fights for Form Amidst Challenging Qualifying Session

Lewis Hamilton cut a dejected figure after qualifying down in seventh place for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Since his victory at the Shanghai sprint race during the 2025 Formula 1 season, Hamilton has been grappling with form and finding it difficult to adapt to this year’s Ferrari.

Disappointing Qualifying Results and Team-mate Performance

After another disappointing qualifying result, Hamilton found himself behind his team-mate Charles Leclerc who qualified in fourth place. Speaking about his experience, Hamilton said, “Qualifying has always been a challenge for me this season.” I was nowhere near the top all weekend – 13th in almost every session – so, honestly, I feel grateful to have made it to Q3 and secured P7.” Not a spectacular final lap, but I’ve been making improvements all weekend. Needed a better lap at the end, but I’m just grateful to be here. Still plenty of time to come.”

When asked about his hopes for a better result in Sunday’s race, Hamilton replied, “I’m praying! Trying to bond with this car on a single lap is proving difficult at the moment.” But we don’t give up. Where there’s a will, there’s a way, and we keep pushing, keep trying. We have amazing support, so we just keep working hard.

Reflecting on Previous Performance and Future Hopes

Hamilton was questioned about his comments after his fifth-place finish in Bahrain where he expressed feeling positive about making progress. He admitted that the result in Jeddah did not meet his expectations, saying, “I was feeling positive after the last race and hoping to apply some of those things, but it didn’t work.”

Tomorrow, Hamilton plans to be patient, waiting for opportunities presented by yellow flags and safety cars. He added, “I’ll just try to race and see if I can move forward. If I can, that would be great. If not, then I’ll be hopeful for something to happen to capitalize on.

Hamilton acknowledged that he is currently a long way off but emphasized the importance of perseverance, saying, “You don’t give up, just keep trying.”