F1 fans all tell Ferrari the same thing after hearing Lewis Hamilton’s pleas at Brazilian Grand Prix

Follow us on Google Discover

Lewis Hamilton failed to reach a Q3 session for the sixth time as a Ferrari driver after he only qualified P13 for the 2025 F1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix in round 21 this Saturday.

The 40-year-old bowed out of qualifying in Brazil during the intermediate stage after he only managed a 1:10.100. Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc set the fourth-fastest lap time during Q2 with a 1:09.801 lap, and the 28-year-old went on to qualify P3 for Sunday’s Sao Paulo GP.

Hamilton has endured a weekend that he will want to forget in Sao Paulo, with the honorary Brazilian citizen also only qualifying P11 for the F1 Sprint which he converted into a P7 finish earlier on Saturday. The Briton finished the 100km dash 18.603 seconds off the lead, as well.

McLaren pilot Lando Norris won the F1 Sprint at the Sao Paulo GP ahead of Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the 19-year-old who replaced Hamilton after he joined Ferrari. Norris beat Antonelli by 0.174s to pole position for the Sao Paulo GP, as well, with his 1:09.511 lap.

F1 fans question Ferrari’s tyre preparation after Lewis Hamilton’s Q2 exit at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix

Hamilton struggled to find the performance from the Ferrari SF-25 that Leclerc unlocked for P3 on the Sao Paulo GP grid. The seven-time champion felt his rear Pirelli tyres were not in the right operating window after his first Q2 run, so he sought help to improve the situation.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know ahead of the 2025 F1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix

But Hamilton’s radio message to race engineer Riccardo Adami failed to improve the record 104-time Grand Prix polesitter’s situation. The Stevenage-born star firmly believes his early exit from qualifying for the Sao Paulo GP was due to his rear tyres, and not Ferrari’s set-up.

“I didn’t have any rear end,” Hamilton told F1 TV after qualifying in Brazil. “The tyres weren’t working today… The car set-up felt good, it was just how we prepared the tyres.”

Hamilton’s pleas about struggling with his rear tyre temperatures during qualifying in Brazil seemingly falling on deaf ears also saw a flurry of fans flock to Ferrari’s X post to voice their irritation. A fan even suggested that Ferrari were “incompetent” after Hamilton’s early exit.

One fan replied to Ferrari’s post on X announcing Hamilton’s Q2 exit: “Fix the rears, he said. But, crucially, did you? No.” Another fan also said: “A 6° track temp drop again, yet no faster out lap adjustment exactly like yesterday, WHY?”

Ferrari’s post also tempted one fan to say: “You always manage to get Charles in the correct window but never Lewis.” Another fan also responded by noting: “[Hamilton] said to fix the rears… and nothing was done.”

One fan also replied to Ferrari’s post, noting: “Yes, he told you to fix the rear. And, as usual, you did absolutely nothing.” Another fan also said: “What are you actually doing on Lewis’ car? [That] is the real question. What are you doing with the tyre temps every single time?”

Lewis Hamilton suffers a Q2 exit in Brazil, straight after his best qualifying result for Ferrari in Mexico

Hamilton’s Q2 exit with P13 during qualifying for the Sao Paulo GP follows him bowing out of Sprint Qualifying on Friday during SQ2 in P11. The Briton missed out on an SQ3 place by only 0.076s to Sauber star Nico Hulkenberg, who set a 1:09.735 to the Ferrari driver’s 1:09.811.

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family

Hulkenberg was again the man on the bubble during Q2 on Saturday with a 1:09.985, and he progressed to Q3 with Aston Martin ace Fernando Alonso and Alex Albon of Williams sat in between himself and Hamilton. Lance Stroll and Carlos Sainz also dropped out during Q2.

It is the sixth time so far in the 2025 F1 season that Hamilton has now failed to advance to Q3, having so far endured five Q2 exits and one Q1 exit through the first 21 rounds of this year’s 24. Hamilton’s bleak P16 at the Belgian Grand Prix remains his worst qualifying result.

While Interlagos may not have staged Hamilton’s worst qualifying result with Ferrari so far, it did follow his best starting position in red to date. Hamilton qualified P3 for the Mexico City Grand Prix only two weeks ago, when his best lap was just 0.090s slower than Leclerc in P2.