Ferrari insiders have every right to raise their latest Lewis Hamilton concern after Qatar disaster

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Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton will both recognise how important the next few months are as a tumultuous 2025 Formula 1 campaign comes to an end.

Lewis Hamilton’s two top-three finishes this season in China and Miami feel an age away, and neither counts towards his career podium tally, having happened in Sprint races.

The Qatar Grand Prix offered Hamilton one last chance to capitalise on what has been his favoured format this season, but Ferrari’s complete lack of performance was obvious to see as soon as qualifying started.

Hamilton didn’t get out of SQ1, with teammate Charles Leclerc sneaking into ninth. Both drivers failed to score points in the Sprint Race, with Hamilton’s pit lane start doing him no favours at a circuit where overtaking is notoriously difficult.

Leclerc will start Sunday’s race from 10th after a brilliant performance to get into Q3, while Hamilton once again fell at the first hurdle.

There’s now a growing feeling among Ferrari insiders that the gulf between their two drivers is increasing to a level that no one within the team is comfortable with.

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Lewis Hamilton is worrying Ferrari insiders as the gap to Charles Leclerc increases

A report from Motorsport Italia has shared more details about what’s currently happening behind the scenes at Fred Vasseur’s team.

Ferrari failed to make any progress throughout the Qatar weekend, with even Alpine using the Sprint Race as the perfect opportunity to improve, with Pierre Gasly managing to outqualify both Hamilton and Leclerc.

Fans have refused to blame Hamilton for this latest underwhelming weekend, but there is a feeling within the team that things need to start improving quickly.

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It’s believed ‘legitimate questions’ are now being raised about Hamilton’s future at Ferrari.

The upcoming regulation changes offer every driver fresh hope that they’ll be fighting for victories in 2026, but Hamilton’s confidence is at one of its lowest ebbs since his debut in 2007.

The report suggests that there is ‘some concern in the Ferrari garage’ because of the ‘performance gap’ between Hamilton and Leclerc.

It’s been suggested that if it continues into 2026, then Vasseur’s agenda might include asking the question of how long they can persist with Hamilton as one of their drivers.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory

Lewis Hamilton sets personal 15-year record with Qatar Grand Prix qualifying exit

One of the things that links every Formula 1 world champion is their consistency.

Lando Norris could win the drivers’ championship in Qatar, and would have done so by avoiding the same mid-season slump that has impacted McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri.

Hamilton’s performances for Mercedes while he was winning titles were at an impossibly high standard, and only a bit of bad luck up against Nico Rosberg in 2016 and an incredibly intense battle in 2021 denied him another two championships.

The problem that Hamilton has suffered from across 2025, and even near the end of his time with Mercedes, is his one-lap pace.

Sum up Lewis Hamilton’s debut season at Ferrari in one word…

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This seems like a ridiculous thing to say about the driver with the most pole positions in Formula 1 history, but his P18 in Qatar set an unwanted personal record.

Hamilton recorded two qualifying results of 16th or worse since 2009 with his Q1 elimination at the Lusail circuit.

Unfortunately, it’s a record Hamilton is only claiming from himself, when he qualified 19th, 16th and 18th in Monaco, Turkey and Great Britain respectively, failing to score points at all three races.

Ferrari staff have every right to be worried about Hamilton’s performance levels compared to Leclerc, especially if they have their sights set on finally ending their championship drought next year.