Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari may need to consider a driver change following his underwhelming performance in qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix, especially as teammate Charles Leclerc secured pole position. While Leclerc delivered a stunning final lap in Q3 to take the top spot, Hamilton could only manage 12th on the grid for Sunday’s race at the Hungaroring.
The 2025 season has been far from ideal for the seven-time world champion, who currently sits sixth in the drivers’ standings and has consistently trailed behind Leclerc, who is ranked fifth. This latest qualifying result further highlights the stark contrast in performance between the two Ferrari drivers.
Frustration was clear in Hamilton’s brief and tense exchange with Sky Sports F1 after the session. When asked about his irritated radio message, he bluntly responded, “Oh, it’s me every time.” Pressed further on his struggles during qualifying, Hamilton didn’t mince words, calling his performance “useless, absolutely useless.” He even went as far as to suggest the issue isn’t with the car, saying, “The team has no problem, you’ve seen the car is on pole, so we probably need to change driver.”
Later, Hamilton shared with print journalists that at no point during the weekend did he feel confident about achieving a strong result. Despite having a record eight wins at the Hungarian track, he admitted he never felt in contention this time around.
Still, Hamilton acknowledged the significance of Leclerc’s pole position, especially since McLaren had led every session until Q3. He credited Ferrari’s improvement as a positive sign, referring to the result as evidence of “big progress” for the team, even if it left his own performance in the shadows.
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