Lewis Hamilton ‘doesn’t have the words to express how I feel’ after latest Q1 exit
Lewis Hamilton is poised to go a full season without a podium finish for the first time in his F1 career
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton says he “doesn’t have the words to express how I feel” after suffering a fourth consecutive Q1 exit at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Hamilton has endured a disastrous first season with Ferrari following his move from Mercedes last winter and is on course to go through the entire F1 2025 campaign without a podium finish.
Lewis Hamilton lost for words after fourth straight Q1 exit at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
The seven-time world champion became the first Ferrari driver to qualify last on pure pace since 2009 at last month’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, with Hamilton suffering two Q1 eliminations in 24 hours in Qatar last weekend.
Hamilton once again fell in the first stage of qualifying on Saturday in Abu Dhabi, where he could only manage 16th on the timesheets.
Speaking after his fourth consecutive Q1 exit, Hamilton admitted he was lost for words at Yas Marina.
He told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets: “I don’t have the words to express how I feel.”
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On his prospects for the last race of the season, he added: “There’s not a lot I can do from there. Same thing every weekend for me, so give it my best shot.”
Hamilton’s preparations for qualifying were interrupted by a crash at Turn 9 – the long, sweeping left hander in place since 2021 – in Saturday’s final practice session.
That came after Hamilton was forced to sit out FP1 on Friday as Ferrari fulfilled its final FP1 rookie requirements for F1 2025, with Leclerc’s brother Arthur Leclerc taking to the wheel of the SF-25 car.
Asked if his accident had a direct impact on his qualifying performance, he replied: “Definitely doesn’t help when you have missed your second run.
“But the car was feeling great. Just had some bottoming and then lost the back end.”
Pushed on whether Ferrari had managed to identify the cause of his crash, Hamilton said: “No, they just fixed the car. They saw some bouncing going in and they said that carried all the way through.”
On his absence from FP1, he added: “It’s never helpful when you have less running, for sure, but everyone’s in the same boat.”
More on Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc from PlanetF1.com
Formula 1’s regulations will be overhauled for F1 2026 as the sport embraces 50 per cent electrification, fully sustainable fuels and active aerodynamics, with the first test with the all-new cars set to take place in Barcelona in late January.
Asked if the winter break will be enough for him to reset mentally after a bruising first year at Ferrari, Hamilton replied: “It’s the shortest break.”
Asked if he has an action plan to spring into action for F1 2026 from Monday morning, he added: “Not at the moment, no.
“I don’t have any plans for the moment.”
Additional reporting by Mat Coch and Thomas Maher
