'Useless' Lewis Hamilton says Ferrari should replace him
Outside of a sprint win at the second round in China, Hamilton's move from Mercedes to Ferrari has failed to live up to its blockbuster billing and his debut season in red took another sorry twist when he was knocked out of Q2 at the Hungaroring.
The 40-year-old has a record eight wins and nine pole positions here. However, a week after he qualified only 16th at Spa-Francorchamps, he suffered another setback.
Hamilton has now been out-qualified by Leclerc at 10 of the 14 rounds so far and trails his team-mate by 30 points in the standings.
And, in an astonishing admission in the moments after qualifying, Hamilton told Sky Sports: "It's me every time.
"I'm useless, absolutely useless. The team have no problem. You've seen the car's on pole. So we probably need to change driver."
After he failed to progress to Q3, Hamilton emerged from his cockpit and walked towards the Ferrari motorhome holding his gloves in front of his visor to obstruct the full glare of the waiting TV cameras.
Hamilton's lowly grid slot looks set to extend his run without a podium finish to 14 races. Until this season he had never gone more than 10 rounds into a campaign without finishing in the top three.
Championship leader Oscar Piastri and title rival Lando Norris had been expected to fight for pole, but the McLaren men were left to settle for second and third respectively.
Leclerc saw off Piastri by just 0.026 seconds, with Norris only 0.015secs behind the Australian. George Russell finished fourth for Mercedes.
Leclerc said: "Today I don't understand anything in Formula One. Honestly, the whole qualifying was extremely difficult. When I say extremely difficult, it's not exaggerating.
"It was difficult for us to get to Q2, it was difficult for us to get to Q3. In Q3, the conditions changed a little bit. Everything became a lot trickier and I knew I just had to do a clean lap to target third.
"At the end of the day, it's pole position. I definitely did not expect that. Honestly, I have no words. It's probably one of the best pole positions I've ever had. It's the most unexpected, for sure."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
12 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Lions End of Tour Wrap: Keenen Tour winning try, Beirne's off the charts performances and Ringrose selflessness
The rain that fell relentlessly for five days in Sydney finally abated on Monday. As blue skies return to city's skyline, the mass exodus of British & Irish Lions supporters continued and hotels emptied as quickly as the lower tier of Accor Stadium on Saturday night during the lightning delay that interrupted the final Test with Australia. It was a flat, and soggy, ending to the 2025 tour for Andy Farrell's squad as the Wallabies finally got the victory they felt their play had deserved for at least three halves of Test rugby across as many weeks. Yet the Lions have departed Australian shores with heads held high after securing a 2-1 series victory and while the naysayers, mostly from afar, will argue it has been an underwhelming tour, the scale of their achievement in delivering that success for the first time in a dozen years and only the third time in the professional era should be celebrated, particularly by Irish rugby supporters. Led by Ireland's head coach and the bulk of his national team coaches and performance staff, this has been the most green-tinged of Lions tours, with a record number of Ireland players who delivered some excellent individual performances as the backbone of a winning side. Lions board chair and tour manager Ieuan Evans, a series-winning player himself in that historic 1997 victory over South Africa, underlined just how difficult one of these tours is to get right. Read More Lightning doesn't strike thrice for the Lions as Australia lay down a marker 'These tours are not designed to be easy to win and compete in,' the former Wales wing said on Sunday before the 90-strong touring party of players, coaches and staff members were scattered to the four winds. 'Winning Lions teams are supposed to be really challenging, really exceptionally challenging. You have to have the right culture in order to succeed as well as the talent and the hard work. 'You expect that talent and hard work to come to the fore because the players of this sort of quality do not get to where they are without it,' Evans added. But you need the culture to allow that to come to the fore and Andy Farrell is exceptional at that.' Evans' view of Farrell's ability to create that winning environment for a group of athletes from four different nations over such a short period of time has been endorsed, tellingly, by many of the non-Irish players selected by the head coach. England back-rower Ben Earl has raved about his experience every time has faced the media here, saying earlier on the tour he had learned more in five weeks with the Lions than he had in the previous four years. That may say as much about the English national set-up as it does about his Lions tour but his take on Farrell had not diminished by the end of the series, in which the Saracens forward came off the bench during the first and third Tests. INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE: England back-rower Ben Earl has raved about his experience every time has faced the media here, saying earlier on the tour he had learned more in five weeks with the Lions than he had in the previous four years. 'He has made me fully believe in how good I am,' Earl said of the Lions boss on Saturday night. 'Every time he talks to the group, I'm like, I'll do anything for that man - I'm ready to play. 'Even when I'm not playing. Like, obviously, how many times am I not playing, maybe four or five times. Like, every time he spoke to the group, I'm like, God, when the time comes, I'm ready to play for this bloke. "I still feel like if there was any circumstance where I would end up wearing that jersey, I know he'd back me 100% and he'd make me feel like I fully deserve that. And I think that's just testament to him, testament to the environment created, along with the other coaches." Was this a great Lions team and tour? It may not be in the pantheon of the giants of 1974 and 1997 and others of much older stock but it was a winning outfit that overcame a Wallabies side which grew into the series after a poor start and belied the gloomy predictions of Joe Schmidt's side being whitewashed by cricket scores. That it was a competitive series, in which the Lions only outscored their hosts in two of the four halves, validates the battling and competitive qualities which Farrell's players possess and value of their series victory. That deserves credit. Read More Bundee Aki reveals wife gave birth in car hours before first Lions test TOUR HIGHLIGHT: Nothing will be the ingredients that went into making the Second Test so memorable. A crowd of 90,307 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, a stirring return to form from the Wallabies to take a 23-5 lead inside 30 minutes, and an epic fightback from the Lions sealed courtesy of Hugo Keenan try in the last minute that was controversial in its making. It sealed a first series win for the Lions since 2013, was the first 2-0 lead created by the Lions since 1997 and was a wonderful, wonderful occasion. PLAYER OF THE SERIES: To think Tadhg Beirne's selection at blindside flanker was considered a risk, the Munster and Ireland star's performance levels were off the charts and he fully deserved the honour. WALLABY TO WATCH: Max Jorgensen, the Waratahs wing is just 20 years old but he impressed in the number 11 jersey throughout the series, scoring in the first and third Tests, his try on Saturday as he pounced a loose ball on halfway showcasing his power and pace. WALALBY TO WATCH: 20-year-old Maz Jorgensen was impressive on the win for the Wallabies. Pic: ©INPHO/Tom Maher TOUR HERO: Garry Ringrose's selfless decision to remove himself from the side for the second Test due to concussion symptoms two days out from the MCG match, thereby allowing Huw Jones time to prepare as his midfield replacement. TOUR COMEBACK: Hugo Keenan's tour got off to a nightmarish start, denied his Lions debut, initially by a minor injury and then a virus that by his own admission. 'I was sick for about 12 days. I couldn't stop, yeah… getting off the jacks was an issue. Yeah, I lost about five or six kilos. It was a rough few weeks,' the full-back said memorably having made just two appearances ahead of starting all three Tests and becoming the player who secured the series win in Melbourne. ON-FIELD MOMENT: The Lions secured that series having led the second Test only by a matter of seconds, thanks to Keenan's excellent finish as the men in red, prompted by Finn Russell, kept their cool, stuck to the plan and managed the game better than the Wallabies. It needed a much-debated ruck clear-out by Jac Morgan on opposing replacement back-rower Carlo Tizzano to get the job done, which only added to the drama before referee Andrea Piardi concluded there was no foul play and wild celebrations ensued. OFF-FIELD LIONS MOMENT: Andy Farrell and captain Maro Itoje's media conference after the second Test being drowned out the by a dressing-room sing-song conducted by a squad of roaring Lions. TOUR LOWPOINT: The Sydney rain which did its best to ruin the spectacle for 80,000-plus supporters at Accor Stadium on Saturday night, including a near 40-minute lightning delay. It coincided with the poorest Lions performance of the tour and the Wallabies' best, a 22-12 defeat of the tourists that hopefully restores faith in the green and gold among supporters in a challenging sports market dominated by Aussie Rules and Rugby League. BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: That Josh van der Flier, so dependable for Farrell as a near-permanent selection in the Ireland back-row at openside flanker, was overlooked for the series and did not play a minute of rugby as a Test Lion despite putting in some impressive performances on tour. A crying shame for the 2022 World Rugby men's player of the year. BEST QUOTE: 'Our Wives Think We're At Coldplay' – Lions supporters' banner at the First Nations & Pasifika game in Melbourne. BEST QUOTE: British & Irish Lions supporters before the second test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile BEST INVOCATION OF SCIENCE TO MAKE A POINT: Joe Schmidt reverting to schoolteacher mode to explain Jac Morgan's clearout on Australia's Carlo Tizzano: "We are all aware of Newton's third law (of motion) - for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. When that force hits him and the speed of his head collapsing down, he recoiled out the back of the ruck. "I don't think he wanted to recoil like that but that's the nature of force. That there is an equal and opposite reaction.' BEST NICKNAME: A tie between Jamie Osborne's 'Showbiz' and Ollie Chessum's 'Bin Chicken', the colloquial name given in these parts to the Australian White Ibis, a long-nosed bird seen wandering around city centres pecking at food thrown on the floor or left on outdoor tables. LIONS IN AUSTRALIA BY THE NUMBERS Played: 9, Won: 8, Lost: 1 Test series v Wallabies: Won 2-1 Players used: 49 Most appearances: Ronan Kelleher, Alex Mitchell – 8 each Tadhg Beirne, Ben Earl, Tadhg Furlong, Ellis Genge, Huw Jones, Jac Morgan, Will Stuart – 7 each Bundee Aki, Ollie Chessum, Jack Conan, Tom Curry, Tommy Freeman, Jamison Gibson-Park, Maro Itoje, Andrew Porter, Finn Russell, James Ryan, Dan Sheehan – 6 each. Most minutes: Tadhg Beirne – 507 Huw Jones – 455 Tommy Freeman – 428 Maro Itoje – 419 Finn Russell – 419 Jack Conan – 414 Most tries: Duhan van der Merwe – 5 Huw Jones – 4 Dan Sheehan – 3 Garry Ringrose - 3 Most points:
Irish Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Keane has gone in guns ablazing on all but one of Man Utd's new leadership group
Roy Keane has made his views crystal clear regarding Ruben Amorim's new Manchester United leadership structure in the dressing room. Following a disappointing 15th-place Premier League campaign, the Red Devils head coach, who assumed control in November last year, has worked tirelessly this summer to enhance the squad he took over from Erik ten Hag. United have already secured the services of players like Matheus Cunha from Wolves and Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford to tackle their goalscoring woes from last season, whilst they continue to chase RB Leipzig forward Benjamin Sesko. The Portuguese coach has also appointed several team leaders at United in a bid to foster greater cohesion within the squad. This leadership collective includes club skipper Bruno Fernandes and seasoned players Harry Maguire and Tom Heaton, alongside Diogo Dalot, Lisandro Martinez and Noussair Mazraoui. Discussing the arrangement, Amorim said: "We have a leadership group now. It's not just Bruno. It's not just Harry. It's six guys. They are responsible for the group. There are some things that in the last year I had to deal with and I said to them this season, you deal with that. "Small issues are with you guys. You're responsible. All these small changes, but I think it's helping the group. We have Bruno, we have Harry, Licha [Martinez], Diogo, Tom and Nous." He added (via the Mirror): "I feel we're more organised now. We're so much better. What we eat, the way we behave on tour, on the pitch, the rules. I know they're not kids and I don't treat the players like kids. But I think these small rules can help a group to be strong. We have rules, and the rules are not to treat the players as babies." Yet, club icon Keane might not be on board with the fresh approach, given his past critiques of certain squad members. The 53-year-old has consistently been vocal about Fernandes' role as captain, doubting his leadership qualities and even suggesting he should be stripped of the captaincy. Ruben Amorim has appointed a new leadership group (Image: Getty Images for Premier League) In an October 2023 Sky Sports discussion, Keane said: "Today having watched him again I would take the captaincy off him 100 per cent. I know it's a big decision, obviously they changed the captaincy with Maguire, but Fernandes is not captain material." Regarding Dalot and Mazraoui, Keane also cast doubt on their defensive awareness after United's 3-0 defeat to Liverpool in September, telling Sky Sports: "When they lose it [the ball], they are all over the place. Listen, a player can make a mistake, but they are all all over the place. "Look at your right-back, where is your right-back? Where is your left-back? You are not in control. Liverpool are good enough to punish [them]. Good players will punish you." The former captain has has taken issue with Martinez's occasional lack of poise on the ball, despite his experience. He previously said about the centre-back: "Fans love him to bits, but [he needs] just a little bit of composure. Bruno Fernandes has seen his fair share of criticism from Roy Keane (Image: ISI Photos via Getty Images) "This is an experienced player. Where's that bit of composure that you need? They paid a lot of money for him to sort his feet out. That's his job – to sort his feet out quickly and expect it to come to him." On Maguire, meanwhile, Keane has been so critical in the past that he even offered an apology. On The Overlap last June, he admitted: "I was harsh on Harry Maguire for footballing reasons. I've crossed the line with Maguire. I bumped into Harry a few months ago and I apologised to him." Heaton seems to be the only one spared from Keane's critique in the leadership team, possibly due to his very limited playtime at Old Trafford, having only appeared thrice since joining in 2021. Keane's relationship with his former club isn't entirely critical; he acknowledges the players' strengths when warranted. After United's 2023 Carabao Cup victory over Nottingham Forest, Keane recognised Martinez as a "character" and even though it was somewhat backhanded, he complimented Maguire following England's goalless match against the USA in 2022. Keane, speaking to ITV, he said: "He's done well tonight. Harry Maguire has been criticised by Roy Keane in the past (Image: Getty Images) "The reason he gets stick is because he's not playing well. That's football. For some reason everyone has sympathy for Harry Maguire. But he did do well tonight, done the basics right and defended, simple as that, that's his job." United are in need of a significant overhaul at Old Trafford to reverse their fortunes after recording their lowest-ever Premier League finish last season under Amorim. However, pre-season has shown signs of promise for United as they gear up for the new campaign. The Red Devils played out a goalless draw with Leeds United last month, followed by victories over West Ham (2-1) and Bournemouth (4-1) in the Premier League Summer Series. Their most recent outing was a 2-2 draw with Everton on Sunday, ahead of their next match against Fiorentina at Old Trafford this Saturday. They then kick off their Premier League campaign against Arsenal on Sunday, August 17 at the Theatre of Dreams.
RTÉ News
5 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Five takeaways from a British and Irish Lions series win in Australia
After eight weeks and 10 games, the British and Irish Lions is over for another four years. A tour which was dominated by Ireland, both in the squad of players and the management, Andy Farrell's side got the win the Test series win they wanted against the Wallabies, although they fell short of a famous whitewash as the hosts showed up with a win that they hope will spark a revival in Australian rugby. Here are some of the big discussion points from the 2025 tour. The Lions will return to Australia One of the stranger narratives of this summer has been the suggestion that the Wallabies will soon get bumped from the British and Irish Lions rotation. Granted, the Lions have a far greater record in Australia compared to New Zealand or South Africa, but that's not really the point. On the other side of the same coin, should we be calling for the Lions to stop touring New Zealand because they've lost 10 out of their 12 series? The Wallabies may no longer be the force they once were, but by the time the Lions return in 2037, things may well be different. Rugby Australia will have profited from this tour to the tune of more than €50m, and with a World Cup due to return here in two years' time, there is a real drive to use that as a vehicle to put rugby union back on the map in the Australian sporting landscape. Just under 225,000 people have come through the gates for the Test series alone, and the way the second and third Tests, in particular, played out, show there's plenty of life in the Wallaby yet. Andy Farrell summed up the argument, or lack of an argument, well this week. "It would be tragic not to tour here," Farrell said on Thursday. "We've had a blast. To me it's insulting to talk about it in that kind of way. "I don't think it was ever off the agenda in my opinion. Every single team, country, province, has their ups and downs but Australia – the sporting nation that they are – are always going to come back." 12 Test Lions from Ireland, but should we have had more? Yes, we're being greedy here, but with good reason. Twelve Irish players have featured in the Test series, and six of them started all three, but there are some obvious names that jump out of the squad who missed out on any Test time. Garry Ringrose (above) is the most notable. The centre was the form player in the warm-up games and was likely to start the first Test but for concussion. Named in the starting team for the second Test in Melbourne, his concussion symptoms returned two days before the game and he was subsequently sidelined for the rest of the tour. Similarly, Mack Hansen had been tracking for a place in the Test squad, before picking up a foot injury a week before the first Test which never fully healed. It speaks volumes that Farrell kept him in the squad right through for the rest of the tour in the hope he'd be fit to play. Then there's Josh van der Flier. One of Farrell's most trusted and consistent players in an Ireland shirt, he's played 41 of the last 44 Ireland internationals, and started 39 of them, but has had to watch on as Tom Curry, Jac Morgan and Ben Earl edged ahead of him in the depth chart. Missing out on the third Test, with the series already sewn up, will surely have hurt. How he reacts next season will be fascinating to see. Farrell to return in 2029? He may not have delivered the 3-0 series win which would have put the Lions up there with the great touring sides, but the general sense remains that the head coach job for 2029 is his, if he wants it. Farrell has twice been asked in recent days if he would like to have a shot at the All Blacks in four years time, and while he's done his best to swivel around answering it, the way in which he's spoken about the British and Irish Lions indicates he still has unfinished business in this job. Becoming just the second coach to lead a Lions team to a series win in New Zealand would do just that. Lions chief executive Ben Calveley was asked about the possibility of running it back with Farrell in 2029, and he was also non-committal. However, it's clear the Ireland coach has made a lasting impression. "When it comes to our appointments for future tours, so you mentioned 2029, we will start the process in about two years and I don't think it would be right to comment on where it ends up, let's see," the CEO said in a tour debrief on Sunday. "But, certainly you're right, he has put himself in a very strong position hasn't he, let's put it that way." Should there be a squad size limit? It's not just a 2025 issue, but there has been a sense on recent tours that the Lions have been allowed to pick and choose the elements of touring rugby that they want to follow. At one stage, the 2025 squad had swelled to a whopping 45 players ahead of the final midweek game against the First Nations and Pasifika XV, with several players flown out specifically to feature in that game and protect the frontline stars for the second Test in Melbourne. Not including Darcy Graham, who likely would have stayed with the group had it not been for his ankle injury, Scotland's Gregor Brown, Ewan Ashman and Rory Sutherland were in Australia for just a few days before heading back home again. For similar, see the 'Geography Six' in New Zealand in 2017. It may be facetious to compare now with then, but jettisoning in extra bodies wasn't an option for Carwyn James when the Lions were in New Zealand in 1971. Obviously the game is much different now, and the rate of attrition is far higher, but if the Lions want to embrace the touring traditions, how about a size limit on the touring squad? Injured players can still be replaced, but a one-in and one-out system would be bring a greater sense of jeopardy, and even spice up the midweek fixtures which have become less competitive in modern years. Referees have an impossible job It wouldn't be a Lions tour without a refereeing drama, and while 2025 didn't live up to the high bar set by Rassie Erasmus four years ago, big decisions dominated the narrative of this series. The Australian media have been chewing on Andrea Piardi's ankles since he refused to overturn Hugo Keenan's winning try in the second Test at the MCG, and after the Wallabies claimed Saturday's third Test, it was inevitable he would be asked about 'The Incident'. "Does it now feel, Joe, like you were one decision away from winning the series?" a reporter asked at Accor Stadium. To Schmidt's credit, he took the dignified route and let the flames die out. Piardi drew a lot of criticism earlier in the season after he and his officiating team briefly and incorrectly forced Munster to play with 14 players in their URC defeat to the Bulls in April, which prompted his unfortunate "this game has too many rules" line. He may have been thinking the same when he had to deliberate on that late Jac Morgan clearout at the MCG, or Dan Sheehan's try earlier in the game. In both instances, rugby's open-to-interpretation lawbook ensured that whichever team he gave the call to, he'd be catching fire from the other. The best he could do was be decisive, and that's what he did.
