Lewis Hamilton’s usual spark was dimmed under the Bahrain floodlights on Saturday night after a disappointing qualifying result, where he could only manage ninth on the grid – six places behind Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.
Despite Ferrari introducing a key floor upgrade aimed at closing the gap to their rivals, Hamilton couldn’t find the same performance Leclerc extracted from the SF-25, finishing a full second off the pole-winning time set by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
Speaking candidly after the session, Hamilton was brief and self-critical when reflecting on his performance.
"It was pretty straightforward. Yeah, not much to say," he said. "I'm just not doing a good enough job on my side, so I just gotta keep improving it.”
A deleted lap for track limits in Q3 didn’t help Hamilton’s cause, though he refused to use it as an excuse.
“It didn’t help, but it wasn’t the worst-case scenario. It’s definitely not a good feeling, for sure,” he confessed, visibly disappointed.
©Ferrari
Hamilton’s uncertainty was striking. Asked where he could improve, he faltered: “I really don’t know… I really don’t know. I don’t have a lot of answers for you guys.”
The contrast with Leclerc’s third-place finish, just 0.334 seconds off pole, underscored the car’s capability. “Yeah, it’s good. The car is good enough, which is good,” Hamilton noted, acknowledging his teammate’s success.
A Step Forward for Ferrari
Despite his personal struggles, Hamilton praised Ferrari’s progress. The team’s first upgrade of the season – a reworked floor – showed promise: “The upgrades are definitely working”.
Looking to Sunday’s race, the seven-time world champion set a modest target for himself.
“Hopefully top five,” he confirmed. “I’ll try and see if I can get it to top 5, we’ll see.”
As Ferrari begins to show signs of upward momentum, Hamilton will be hoping Bahrain is just a stumble in what could still be a resurgent season.
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