17/05/2025 19:10
A "devastated" Lewis Hamilton made an alarming Max Verstappen
comparison after his shock qualifying exit, that Ferrari "can't
match" the Dutchman through the fast opening corners. Both
Hamilton and Charles Leclerc suffered an embarrassing Q2 exit in
qualifying for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and will start in 11th
and 12th, to the disappointment of the drivers and the Tifosi.
Hamilton had been hopeful of making it to the final part of
qualifying, something he failed to do for the first time as a
Ferrari driver in Miami. Unfortunately, the Maranello-based outfit
struggled for outright pace, with the C6 tyres having not worked
for the seven-time world champion. When asked by RacingNews365 for
his feelings after qualifying, Hamilton answered: "Yeah,
definitely, feel devastated. "I feel just gutted I guess, because
the car was generally feeling really good. I honestly felt like the
car with the setup was just right, the brakes were working.
"Everything was kind of in place, and we just can't go quicker. If
you look how quick Max is going through Turn 2 and 3, we just can't
match it. And when we put that new soft on at the end, for some
reason, it just didn't come alive." The expectation on Hamilton and
Ferrari is significant this weekend, with the team having sold out
sections of the grandstands around the circuit. Unfortunately,
Hamilton is wary that the SF-25 is missing considerable lap time
compared to its rivals. "We've got a whole massive crowd here. I
think it's sold out or something for tomorrow," added Hamilton.
"As I said, I just, I really thought we were going to be getting
through, I thought the cars alive, and watching these guys doing
14.7s I mean, we could just get to 15.7. It's a lot of time
missing."
