Lewis Hamilton was left reeling after a crushing qualifying session at the 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, where he and Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc failed to advance to Q3, leaving the Tifosi in stunned disappointment.
The seven-time world champion qualified a lowly 12th, just behind Leclerc in 11th, as the Scuderia’s day race turned into a nightmare.
The team’s struggles with Pirelli’s new C6 soft tyres in Q2 proved costly, with Hamilton unable to find the grip needed to improve his lap time.
A strategic masterstroke by Aston Martin, who opted for medium tyres to secure Q3 berths for Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, sealed Ferrari’s fate, while Williams’ Carlos Sainz also outpaced the Italian outfit’s chargers with a strong final hot lap.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the session, Hamilton’s dejection was palpable.
“Tough one. It was a tough one. Ultimately, I feel super gutted, devastated that we weren’t able to get through.”
Hamilton’s frustration was compounded by the sense that Ferrari had been making progress throughout the weekend.
“I really feel like we’ve made so many positive steps through the weekend. The car was generally feeling better. The brakes were better today. The balance was really nice and in Q2, run one, it felt decent,” he said.
However, the switch to new C6 tyres in Q2 derailed their momentum, leaving both Ferrari drivers stranded.
“When we put the new tyres on, for some reason we just didn’t have any more grip, and didn’t go any faster. You see everyone else they managed to switch the tyres on clearly,” Hamilton explained, pinpointing a critical issue that Ferrari must address.
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The disappointment was especially acute given the emotional weight of the occasion.
“We definitely need to look into that,” he added. “It’s devastating to see everyone who’s worked so hard in the garage to be in Italy for the first Italian race for me and Ferrari and not make it into Q3.
“It’s definitely bitter sweet,” he added, his words heavy with the pain of letting down the passionate Imola crowd.
With Imola’s tight layout and single DRS zone making overtaking notoriously difficult, Hamilton’s prospects for a strong recovery in Sunday’s race appear slim, despite Ferrari showing promising lo,g run pace in FP2.
“It’s all big ifs,” Hamilton cautioned. “It’s a very difficult track to overtake. I think tomorrow will be hard to progress. We will have to battle hard.
“We have to figure out a way to progress forward. Just getting into the top 10 and further up the top 10 will be tough.”
The qualifying disaster, coupled with Imola’s overtaking constraints, puts Ferrari in a precarious position as they face their home crowd, potentially for the circuit’s final F1 race.
Hamilton’s honest reflection on the team’s tyre struggles and his determination to fight back underscore the urgency for the Scuderia to find solutions.
As the Tifosi brace for a challenging race, Hamilton’s resolve will be tested as he aims to salvage points and pride for Ferrari in Sunday’s critical home Grand Prix.
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