Lewis Hamilton said he felt “unbearable anger and rage” as Ferrari’s woes continued during the final race weekend of the season in Abu Dhabi.
Sunday’s race will start on the 16th in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, as Hamilton crashed in final practice and was eliminated from Q1, and the red team’s first race was a disaster, setting a record low.
This is the fourth consecutive time Hamilton has been eliminated in the first half of qualifying. In Las Vegas he finished last on pure pace for the first time in his career, in Qatar he was eliminated in SQ1 and Q1, and again in Abu Dhabi.
Charles Leclerc, on the other hand, has further improved the capabilities of his car, which he proved by finishing fifth in qualifying for the final race of the season.
“I have no words to explain the feelings I have inside,” he told Sky Italia.
“Unbearable anger and rage. There’s not much I can say about it.”
“I don’t have the words to express how I feel,” Hamilton told written media.
“If you miss the second one (the crash) definitely doesn’t help, but the car felt great. I just bottomed out a little bit and then lost the back end.”
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Anthony Davidson reflects on Lewis Hamilton’s big hit during third practice red flag in Abu Dhabi
Hamilton has previously described his first season at Ferrari as a “nightmare” and looks set to end the year without a podium, the first time in his 18-year career.
Sky Sports F1’s Nico Rosberg, Hamilton’s teammate for four years at Mercedes, said it was a “scary situation” for the British driver as teams could start to lose faith in him.
“Lewis is definitely partly, if not entirely, to blame, which is incredibly difficult,” Rosberg said.
“It’s very hard. I feel sorry for him. It’s terrible. You start doubting yourself and he thinks to himself, ‘Maybe I’ve lost it.’
“Maybe this will continue next year. It’s going to be even more painful and it’s going to be really scary. It’s not going to be nice to see.”
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Sky Sports F1’s Ted Kravitz looks at five reasons why Lewis Hamilton struggled in his first season at Ferrari
Bernie: Sad to see Hamilton in this situation
Hamilton has beaten teammate Charles Leclerc just three times in Saturday qualifying this year, with the Monaco driver also taking seven podiums.
Sky Sports F1’s Bernie Collins said: “It doesn’t feel like we’re seeing any improvement” from Hamilton, who has hinted that his contract with Ferrari will extend beyond 2026.
“It’s Lewis’s responsibility to get laps out of the car in qualifying. If you look at where his teammates are, it’s Delta,” Collins said.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Lewis Hamilton says the 2025 season proved his resilience and reveals plans to transform the squad around him for the 2026 season.
“We’ve seen very small differences in lap times make the difference between getting through Q1 or not. It makes other sessions a little easier because there’s more gaps on the track, and that’s something you can learn from these two tires.”
“It’s sad to see Lewis so disappointed in the performance of this car, but that’s his story at Ferrari.
“We started the year with high hopes that Ferrari and Lewis could become a dream team, but that didn’t happen.”
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Qualifying Highlights
Sky Sports F1 Abu Dhabi GP Schedule
Sunday, December 7th
9:10am: F2 Feature Race
11am: Grand Prix Sunday: Abu Dhabi GP Build-up*
1pm: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix*
3pm: Checkered flag: Abu Dhabi GP reaction*
4:30pm: Ted’s Notes
*Also held at Sky Sports Main Event
The 2025 F1 season will begin this weekend with the title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix being broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, with Sunday’s race ending at 1pm (meeting time starts at 11am). Stream Sky Sports now – cancel anytime with no contract
