A dejected Lewis Hamilton labelled himself “useless” after a disappointing qualifying session for the Hungarian Grand Prix, finishing 12th while Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc secured pole position.
The seven-time world champion exited Q2 early, visibly frustrated as he retreated to the team’s motorhome.
“I’m useless,“ Hamilton admitted.
“Absolutely useless. The team has no problem. You’ve seen the car on pole, so they probably need to change driver.”
Despite his struggles, Max Verstappen backed Hamilton to recover, though the Red Bull driver also faced difficulties, qualifying eighth.
Verstappen, who had earlier vented about his car’s performance, said, “Looking at the whole weekend, I think we’re happy to be in Q3 because I’ve been more outside the top 10 than in it.”
“It’s been difficult this whole weekend.”
The Dutchman cited a lack of grip and unresolved car issues as major setbacks. Red Bull’s struggles continued as Verstappen revealed the team still hasn’t pinpointed the car’s problems.
“No, clearly not,“ he said.
“Otherwise, we would have changed it already. Somehow, this weekend, nothing seems to work.”
Last season, Verstappen had been competitive in Hungary, but this year, he described the car as “just going around in circles” with no clear solutions.
Looking ahead to the race, he acknowledged Hamilton’s potential to climb through the field, saying, “Lewis is still a bit further down the road, which he shouldn’t be. He will come through a bit.”
The two champions, who clashed fiercely in 2021, now share mutual respect.
However, Hamilton’s ongoing qualifying struggles threaten to overshadow his first season with Ferrari.
As the most successful driver at the Hungaroring, he faces pressure to deliver a strong performance on Sunday. – AFP
