Lewis Hamilton believes that he could be in for an entire season of pain as he adapts to life as a Ferrari driver. The seven-time world champion has been unable to consistently match team-mate Charles Leclerc since joining the Italian constructor from Mercedes. Hamilton qualified seventh for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, and so he lined up behind Leclerc on the grid for the fourth time in five races.
Despite gaining a position on Williams driver Carlos Sainz when the lights went out, he crossed the line in the same position in which he started, due to Lando Norris’ charge from P10. More frustrating for Hamilton was the general lack of pace. While Leclerc scored Ferrari’s first podium of the season, the legendary Brit was unable to close in on Kimi Antonelli, the man who replaced him at Mercedes.
Unfortunately for Hamilton and his fans, there is no light at the end of the tunnel just yet. “In qualifying, it’s me extracting performance,” he explained, noting the areas for improvement. “In the race today, I tried everything, and the car just didn’t want to go quicker.”
Hamilton continued: “I think I’ll struggle also in Miami. I don’t know how much longer I’ll struggle for, but it’s definitely painful.” The Brit concluded by adding: “At the moment, there’s no fix. So … this is how it’s going to be for the rest of the year. It’s going to be painful.”
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