Lewis Hamilton has apologized to his Ferrari team, acknowledging his performance was “not good enough” after qualifying ninth for the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Hamilton`s slow start to his Ferrari career continued during Saturday`s qualifying at the Bahrain International Circuit. He finished significantly behind his teammate Charles Leclerc, who qualified third, while Oscar Piastri of McLaren secured pole position.
Ferrari introduced an upgraded floor in Bahrain, but it appeared to offer minimal improvement for Hamilton. He qualified behind drivers like Pierre Gasly from Alpine and Carlos Sainz of Williams.
After apologizing to his team over the radio, Hamilton told reporters that his poor performance was solely due to his own driving. He stated he simply wasn`t performing well enough.
Speaking to media, Hamilton reiterated his apology to the team and Ferrari fans (tifosi).
Although Hamilton secured a victory in the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint, his best finish in a main race was seventh place in Japan the previous weekend. His highest starting position was fifth in China.
Following the Bahrain qualifying, Hamilton admitted he was not performing at the required level and needed to improve.
When asked if this was his lowest point since joining Ferrari, he confirmed it was definitely not a good feeling.
Chandhok: Hamilton`s Frustration Echoes Last Season
Karun Chandhok, a commentator, noted that Hamilton`s disheartened interview was reminiscent of the previous season when he often seemed frustrated compared to his then-teammate George Russell.
Chandhok mentioned that Hamilton`s comments sounded very dejected, similar to his statements from last year when he frequently expressed difficulties in qualifying.
Chandhok reflected on the similarity to Hamilton`s mindset in the previous year with Mercedes, questioning what might be happening.
When asked about Hamilton`s ability to recover or if age was affecting his qualifying speed, Chandhok acknowledged that age can reduce ultimate qualifying speed, but the gap to Leclerc was substantial.
