What's wrong with F1 superstar?: Lewis Hamilton destroys himself after another debacle

What's wrong with F1 superstar? Lewis Hamilton destroys himself after another debacle. July 27, 2025, 5:42 AM

Lewis Hamilton's eighth Formula 1 world title is out of reach. The Briton is frustrated at Ferrari and lacking confidence. "It's devastating for the team; you can't accept a result like this," he says after the latest disaster.

After the second serious blunder in two days, the pressure on Formula 1 record world champion Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari is mounting. The Italian sports daily "Gazzetta dello Sport" called his 16th place in qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix "a disaster." And "Corriere della Serra" described it as a "nightmare weekend" for the 40-year-old, who showed unusual weaknesses at Spa-Francorchamps.

"He lacks confidence. It's a difficult weekend for him," said Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur. In qualifying for the sprint, Briton Hamilton finished only 18th and could only improve to 15th in the short race. The fact that the seven-time champion finished only 16th in qualifying for Sunday's race caused even more frustration. World Championship points are once again hard to come by.

"It's devastating for the team; you can't accept a result like this," Hamilton said. He apologized to his racing team: "That was another mistake on my part." On Friday, Hamilton braked far too late and spun off the track on his fast lap. On Saturday, he drove too aggressively and ended up outside the track markings. His best time was deleted as a result, and once again the 105-time Grand Prix winner was eliminated in the first part of the knockout phase.

"One car delivers, the other doesn't"

"This is a very, very poor performance from me," Hamilton told the TV cameras. "I really need to take a look inside myself now." He didn't want to blame his often difficult-to-drive car for the setbacks. "It's a big disappointment; the car was fine."

Teammate Charles Leclerc showed that things can be better. The Monegasque driver raced to a surprising third place on the grid and is chasing McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in the 13th race of the season. "One car is performing, the other isn't. That's unacceptable, and I feel really bad for the team," said Hamilton. He had hoped for much more in his first season with the Scuderia after the spectacular switch from Mercedes.