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If Lewis Hamilton walked away from Formula 1 racing today, he’d be widely regarded as one of the best drivers to ever compete in the series, if not the best.
But the seven-time champion is struggling mightily in his debut with the legendary Ferrari team. And amid his latest struggles at this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring in Budapest, Hamilton has come down pretty harshly on himself.
Lewis Hamilton Says He’s ‘Useless’ After Brutal Hungarian Grand Prix Qualifying
Hamilton seemed to be turning a corner in recent weeks. He earned Driver of the Day honors a week ago at the Belgian Grand Prix after moving from 18th on the grid to a seventh-place finish. The two races prior to that, he finished just off the podium in fourth at both the British and Austrian Grands Prix.
In the practice sessions for Sunday’s Hungarian GP, it seemed as if he’d continue his momentum. Hamilton finished fourth in Saturday morning’s third practice session, seemingly giving him confidence for qualifying to follow.
But when qualifying rolled around, he struggled to put a strong lap together and eventually finished in 12th. Meanwhile, teammate Charles Leclerc pulled off a stunning lap to take pole ahead of heavily favored McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
Afterward, when asked what went wrong in the session, Hamilton shouldered all the blame.
“It’s me every time. I’m just useless. The team has no problem. The second car is on pole, so they probably just need to change driver.”
Distraught Lewis Hamilton after qualifying 💔
— Ferrari News 🐎 (@FanaticsFerrari) August 2, 2025
“It’s me every time,” he said. “I’m useless, absolutely useless. (The) Team’s not the problem, (you) can see the other car on pole. (The) Team probably needs to change driver.”
Oooof. That’s brutal.
Now, it’s possible that Hamilton was being a bit tongue-in-cheek. He’s had been critical of the Ferrari team at times throughout the seems, some of which has been deserved.
But considering Leclerc did put the car on pole and currently sits ahead of him in the standings, it would be a weird time for Hamilton to blame the car.
Instead, it seems he’s struggling from a severe lack of self-confidence, which is a stunning turn of events from the one of the sport’s legends.