Lewis Hamilton was openly critical of his performance after a disappointing outing at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where he qualified and finished in 12th place. The British driver didn’t mince words, describing himself as “useless” and even suggesting that Ferrari might be better off considering a different driver. His stark self-assessment came after a tough qualifying session, highlighting the frustration that had been building up throughout the weekend at the Hungaroring.
In a post-race interview with Sky Sports F1, Hamilton didn’t back down from his earlier remarks, alluding to deeper, undisclosed issues within the team environment. “When you have a feeling, you have a feeling,” he said, hinting at unresolved matters behind the scenes. While he refrained from going into detail, the seven-time world champion’s tone suggested that the weekend’s struggles were not just down to performance alone.
Despite the harsh comments and the underwhelming result, Hamilton turned his focus to the future. Speaking in Ferrari’s post-race debrief, he acknowledged that the Hungarian GP was one to leave behind, but expressed gratitude to the team for their efforts. As Formula 1 heads into its summer break, Hamilton emphasized the importance of recharging mentally and physically before returning to action at the Dutch Grand Prix. “I’m not where I want to be yet,” he admitted, “but the fight’s not over—don’t count me out.”
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur offered a more measured take on the weekend, pointing out that both Hamilton and his teammate Charles Leclerc suffered from a surprising drop in pace during the race. He explained that Hamilton’s strategy was compromised after he lost positions early while starting on the hard compound tyre, which landed him in heavy traffic. This, combined with the DRS train ahead of him, severely limited his ability to make progress, forcing the team to settle for a one-stop strategy.
Vasseur remained cautiously optimistic, referencing the team’s performance in qualifying as a highlight, with their first pole position of the season. In the early laps of the race, Ferrari had been competitive, even managing to hold a significant lead over George Russell’s Mercedes. However, their sudden fall off in race pace raised serious concerns. “We lost everything and didn’t have the pace anymore,” Vasseur admitted, signaling the need for a thorough investigation into what went wrong during the second half of the race.
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