Lewis Hamilton Hints at Off-Track Issues After Painful Hungarian GP
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton looked disheartened after failing to score points at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Hamilton failed to score points at one of his best tracks historically. He was stuck in waves of traffic due to his poor qualifying, which resulted in him qualifying 12th.
His struggles are a drop in a bucket of lackluster results this season for the seven-time champion.
Hamilton made the massive move to the most storied team on the Formula 1 grid this season, and following months of anticipation and hype, he hasn't lived up to the expectations.
Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Scuderia Ferrari is interviewed during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary at Hungaroring on August 01, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary.
Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Scuderia Ferrari is interviewed during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary at Hungaroring on August 01, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary.
Photo byOn Saturday, after qualifying, Hamilton appeared devastated and even claimed that the team should change their driver.
"It's just me every time. I am useless. Absolutely useless. The team has no problem. You can see the car is on pole [with Leclerc]. They probably need to change driver," Hamilton said.
Then following the race, the British driver sounded dispondent and revealed additional information regarding his comments.
"Not particularly, when you have a feeling, you have a feeling. There's a lot going on in the background that's not great, so...," Hamilton told Sky Sports.
"I still love it. I still love racing."
In Hungary, Hamilton started on the hard tire, lasting 40 laps on the compound before swapping onto the medium tire.
He started in the same place he finished, marking what has been a frustrating weekend for the driver.
Hamilton had an amazing drive during the Belgian Grand Prix, earning driver of the day after making up serious ground. He looked poised to keep the momentum going in Hungary.
This makes his poor race weekend all the more painful for the champion and likely explains his absolute lack of confidence.
Former Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali still thinks Hamilton can turn it around in the second half of the season.
"First of all, Lewis is a jewel, he is an incredible athlete, so no matter if it is a difficult moment, he will react, and I'm pretty sure he will show the reason why he is here," Domenicali told Sky Sports F1.
"He wants to achieve his eighth title, and he will triumph again. So, stay with Lewis and he will do a great race, and be very, very strong after the summer [break]."
Hungarian Grand Prix Race Results
Lando Norris (McLaren) Oscar Piastri (McLaren) George Russell (Mercedes) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) Max Verstappen (Red Bull) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) Carlos Sainz (Williams) Alex Albon (Williams) Esteban Ocon (Haas) Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls) Franco Colapinto (Alpine) Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
DNF: Ollie Bearman (Haas)
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F1 fans make same complaint about McLaren as Piastri averts disaster with Norris
Oscar Piastri admits he was always facing an uphill battle to overtake Lando Norris after his McLaren teammate's one-stop strategy paved the way to victory at the Hungarian GP and left many of Piastri's fans complaining about favouritism. Norris clung on with worn tyres as Piastri loomed behind him in the final laps, with the Briton's race victory cutting the Aussie's championship lead to to nine points heading into the mid-season break. The McLaren teammates avoided a near-disaster on the second-last lap when Piastri tried to pass Norris and nearly collided with his teammate when he locked up a wheel. Fortunately, the incident didn't prove costly but the Aussie's move earnt a rebuke from his team. "Remember how we go racing, Oscar," came the warning from his race engineer, Tom Stallard. Piastri tried everything to overtake Norris in a tense finish but it was his teammate that clung to victory in another one-two finish for McLaren, with Mercedes driver George Russell finishing third. 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May as well rebrand the team to McLando. #HungariangGP #F1 #Mclaren — lachie (@lachxii) August 3, 2025 Nothing much to say after this GP other than….Ferrari not listening to Leclerc. McLaren favouring Lando over Oscar at the same GP as last year (tainted first win). & Max Verstappen being out on a strategy which I'll never understand.#F1 #HungariangGP #MV1 #MV33 #Formula1 — OK3ZZY (@OK3ZZY) August 3, 2025 This is on the team and suck their Papaya Rules. Poor Oscar. It could've been a one stop. 👎🏻 #HungarianGP — ash ✎ (@endpaige) August 3, 2025 Oscar was never passed on track but loses the #HungariangGP … What a hollow victory for @LandoNorris Bad luck @OscarPiastri That's a bullshit thing @McLarenF1 did to you. @F1 — The Huski (@Huski67) August 3, 2025 Oscar is battling Norris and the team. If he wins this championship, it will be embarrassing for Norris #HungarianGP — Amu⚠️ (@amogelang_me) August 3, 2025 Lando Norris claims victory after one-stop strategy Piastri found himself trailing Norris after being stuck behind pole-sitter Leclerc in the opening stages, before making an early pitstop. The move proved decisive as McLaren opted for the one-stop strategy with Norris that ultimately proved the difference. When race engineer Will Joseph asked Norris on the radio, 'Lando, 40 laps on the hard tyre, you up for it?', the Briton replied: 'Yeah, why not?'. RELATED: Oscar Piastri responds amid uproar over Aussie's act on podium F1 driver in danger of being axed after incident with Oscar Piastri The Aussie steadily cut into Norris' lead in the latter stages of the race but the British driver held on with old tyres to take the win. "I'm dead. It was tough, it was tough," Norris said. "The final stint, with Oscar catching, I was pushing flat out. "Good racing. Good strategy. Good call," was how Norris summed it up on the team radio afterwards. For the dominant McLaren drivers, it was their seventh 1-2 finish of the season and the team's 11th victory in 14 races in 2025, extending their lead over Ferrari to 299 points in the constructors' championship. Russell took third for Mercedes after fighting his way past Leclerc in a contest that earned the Ferrari driver a time penalty for nearly colliding with Russell. Leclerc was 'frustrated' after failing to make more of his stunning drive in qualifying to take pole. A day after calling himself "useless" and questioning whether Ferrari might need to replace him, Lewis Hamilton ended up where he started - in 12th. While Fernando Alonso took Aston Martin's best result of the season with fifth on a slow track that suited his car. Gabriel Bortoleto was a surprise sixth for Sauber and Lance Stroll seventh in the other Aston Martin. with AAP
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9 hours ago
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Lewis Hamilton Hints at Off-Track Issues After Painful Hungarian GP
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton looked disheartened after failing to score points at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Hamilton failed to score points at one of his best tracks historically. He was stuck in waves of traffic due to his poor qualifying, which resulted in him qualifying 12th. His struggles are a drop in a bucket of lackluster results this season for the seven-time champion. Hamilton made the massive move to the most storied team on the Formula 1 grid this season, and following months of anticipation and hype, he hasn't lived up to the expectations. Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Scuderia Ferrari is interviewed during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary at Hungaroring on August 01, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary. Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Scuderia Ferrari is interviewed during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary at Hungaroring on August 01, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary. Photo byOn Saturday, after qualifying, Hamilton appeared devastated and even claimed that the team should change their driver. "It's just me every time. I am useless. Absolutely useless. The team has no problem. You can see the car is on pole [with Leclerc]. They probably need to change driver," Hamilton said. Then following the race, the British driver sounded dispondent and revealed additional information regarding his comments. "Not particularly, when you have a feeling, you have a feeling. There's a lot going on in the background that's not great, so...," Hamilton told Sky Sports. "I still love it. I still love racing." In Hungary, Hamilton started on the hard tire, lasting 40 laps on the compound before swapping onto the medium tire. He started in the same place he finished, marking what has been a frustrating weekend for the driver. Hamilton had an amazing drive during the Belgian Grand Prix, earning driver of the day after making up serious ground. He looked poised to keep the momentum going in Hungary. This makes his poor race weekend all the more painful for the champion and likely explains his absolute lack of confidence. Former Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali still thinks Hamilton can turn it around in the second half of the season. "First of all, Lewis is a jewel, he is an incredible athlete, so no matter if it is a difficult moment, he will react, and I'm pretty sure he will show the reason why he is here," Domenicali told Sky Sports F1. "He wants to achieve his eighth title, and he will triumph again. So, stay with Lewis and he will do a great race, and be very, very strong after the summer [break]." Hungarian Grand Prix Race Results Lando Norris (McLaren) Oscar Piastri (McLaren) George Russell (Mercedes) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) Max Verstappen (Red Bull) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) Carlos Sainz (Williams) Alex Albon (Williams) Esteban Ocon (Haas) Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls) Franco Colapinto (Alpine) Pierre Gasly (Alpine) DNF: Ollie Bearman (Haas)
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Ferrari boss confident 'frustrated' Hamilton will bounce back after Hungarian GP
Lewis Hamilton received support from his Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur on Sunday just hours after the Briton cut a dejected figure following a lacklustre drive to 12th place in the Hungarian Grand Prix. While team-mate Charles Leclerc proved unable to convert Ferrari's first pole position of the season into victory due to unexplained mechanical problems during the race, seven-time champion Hamilton was battling to escape midfield and finished where he started. As on Saturday, when he was dumped out of Q2 and appeared miserable, claiming he was "completely useless" and saying the team should "bring in another driver", Hamilton seemed utterly deflated. To most observers, it appeared as if the pressures of living up to the hype of his spectacular marquee move from Mercedes, where he won six titles, and adjusting to the culture, car and expectations at Ferrari were overwhelming him. At 40, talk of imminent retirement circled around him. But Vasseur was swift to defend Hamilton, who has always been prone to impulsive heart-on-sleeve reactions. "I don't need to motivate him," said Vasseur. "Honestly, he's frustrated, but not demotivated. "He's demanding, but I think it's also why he's (a) seven-time world champion. I can perfectly understand this situation. "Sometimes, you are making comments on what the driver is saying (in) the car, but if you put the microphone on some other sportsmen, in football and so on, I'm not sure that it would be much better. "Sometimes, just after the race or just after qualifying, you are very disappointed and the first reaction is harsh. I can understand the frustration, but we are all frustrated." - 'He will be back' - Vasseur added Hamilton's weekend appeared worse than it really was because of the tight and competitive times that led him to miss out on reaching Q3 on Saturday. "For sure, when you are a seven-time world champion, your team-mate is on pole position and you are out in Q2, it's a tough situation," he said. "But overall, we can also have a deep look that he was in front of Charles in Q1 and with the first set that he was one-tenth off in Q2. We were not far away from having the two cars out in Q2. "I can understand the frustration from Lewis. That's normal and he will come back. He was stuck in a DRS train, but when he was alone, the pace was good. "I'm sure that he will be back and he will perform." Fourth-placed Leclerc backed his team-mate. "At the end, we are one team and as much as I want to finish in front of Lewis, I want both of us to be successful and for Ferrari to be successful, and obviously this weekend has been a tough one for Lewis," Leclerc said. "But I have no doubt that it's a one-off and I'm sure the second part of the season will be a lot more positive." Hamilton, sixth in the drivers' standings, but without a podium for Ferrari this year, said he was looking forward to a much-needed "break from work" during F1's August holiday before the Dutch Grand Prix on the final weekend of this month. str/iwd/nf
