Not even in a territory like Bahrain, well known, Lewis Hamilton manages to straighten the course with Ferrari. The bad feelings pointed out from the beginning of the season were confirmed yesterday in Sakhir, where the seven-time champion had another mediocre qualifying session, which will make him start today from the ninth place on the grid. "There is no reason, but I didn't do my job. And it's something that happens every Saturday, yes," he admitted.
In just over a month and a half, Hamilton's decline can be seen in light of his own words. During the preseason, he said he had experienced the "most positive feelings in a long time." At that time, Ferrari claimed to be ready to fight McLaren for the two titles at stake. Yesterday, six weeks later, Hamilton described his performance as "poor." Not only had he conceded almost a second to pole position of Oscar Piastri (1:29.841), but also six tenths compared to Charles Leclerc, his garage mate.
This weekend, Ferrari has introduced its first package of upgrades in Sakhir, which includes a new floor, a novel diffuser geometry, and various changes in the cooling system. Expectations have once again risen around Hamilton, who still holds the record for wins at this circuit (2014, 2015, 2019, 2020, 2021). However, his only fleeting moment came during Q1, taking advantage of a slipstream on the main straight. The rest, including a lap invalidated for exceeding track limits, must be forgotten.
"I'm very sorry," mumbled Sir Lewis over the radio, unable to find reasons to explain the mistake that relegated him in Q3. If in two of the three previous qualifications he had already lost the battle against a Racing Bulls - the Red Bull junior team with Ferrari engines - yesterday Hamilton was surpassed by Pierre Gasly (Alpine) and Carlos Sainz, who finally could deliver the best of his repertoire behind the wheel of the Williams.
According to the data handled by the Scuderia, Hamilton fails to translate the car's performance during simulations onto the track. Nothing remains of that enthusiasm from late February when a progression of one second per lap was leaked from Maranello. Hamilton struggles too much with the capricious behavior of the SF-25. He neither manages to tame it nor find his balance. Excluding the points from the Shanghai sprint race, Ferrari has had its worst start to a season since 2009.
To further cloud the atmosphere, Hamilton has been involved in heated confrontations with his race engineer. It is true that Riccardo Adami, who had previously worked with Sebastian Vettel and Sainz in the red garage, has made a couple of mistakes in transmitting precise data. But Hamilton has reproached him in the cruelest way. Under these criticisms, some interpret an unmistakable nostalgia for Pete Bonnington, the engineer who guided his steps at Mercedes. Not to mention the case of Angela Cullen, his trusted physical trainer, with whom he had broken ties in late 2023 and with whom he has since reconciled.
Therefore, Fred Vasseur, Ferrari's team principal, is experiencing his most delicate moment since replacing Mattia Binotto. The crisis can no longer be hidden. Not even Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, returning to the paddock after almost 11 years of absence. In Sakhir, the former president of the Cavallino had to calm the waters after Hamilton's recent comments about alleged sabotage. "There has been a deficit compared to the other side of the garage due to an element of the car. Something is wrong and it makes me lose more than a tenth per lap," he hinted after his poor performance in Suzuka.
Yesterday, as soon as he got out of the car, Hamilton clarified that the issue had been "resolved," although without offering further details. When asked about the way forward from now on, his response was even more shrouded in uncertainty: "The truth is, I don't know, I don't know. I don't have many answers for you. I just wasn't fast today." In the same vein, bordering on melancholy, Montezemolo wanted to express himself. "I feel sad because I see a team without soul, but also angry because I expected to see a truly competitive car from the start."
The best news for Ferrari only came late in the afternoon when the stewards issued a double penalty to George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, which propelled Leclerc to the second spot on the grid. Mercedes mistimed the moment to send out their cars in Q2, leading them to breach the regulations. A blow to the morale of the Silver Arrows, where Hamilton has already experienced a clear downward trend over the last three seasons.
Downcast, with a body language that needed no further explanation, the number 44 wanted to apologize to all the tifosi. "I was just too slow, and right now I don't have confidence for the race. I'm very sorry for the whole team, both on the track and at the factory," he concluded. With this ninth place, he equals his worst result on the Sakhir grid (2024, 2018, 2013), where he will have to withstand the pressure from Yuki Tsunoda.