Ferrari insider reveals the big complaint Lewis Hamilton is making in briefings amid Belgian Grand Prix woes

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Lewis Hamilton is enduring a wretched weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix. He’s been knocked out of Q1 twice in the space of 24 hours.

Hamilton spun out of Sprint qualifying on Friday, which left him 18th on the grid. He only gained three places during the 15-lap race, finishing nowhere near the points.

Ferrari, like the rest of the teams, had the opportunity to change their set-up before Grand Prix qualifying. Hamilton wanted to press the reset button.

But he finds himself 16th, his lowest Sunday grid slot as a Ferrari driver, after his final lap was deleted for a track limits violation. He could be on for a scoreless weekend.

Lewis Hamilton can’t cope with rear instability like Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc

Hamilton’s first lap wasn’t particularly impressive, which left him in the drop zone in the final seconds of Q1. When he took the chequered flag, he jumped up to seventh and appeared to be safe.

However, it quickly emerged that he’d cut turn four, which demoted him back out of the top 15 and spared Gabriel Bortoleto. Hamilton stayed in the car just in case the decision was overturned, but soon had to make the dejected walk out of the garage.

Speaking to Sky Sports before Belgian Grand Prix qualifying, Ferrari ambassador Marc Gene says Hamilton’s biggest complaint right now is the rear-end instability of the SF-25. The ex-Minardi and Williams F1 driver has been involved in team briefings.

• READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton has now done something that not even Michael Schumacher did at Ferrari to address his ‘bleak reality’

Teammate Charles Leclerc, who’s raced for the team since 2019, ‘can cope with it’. He now leads the qualifying head-to-head 9-4, or 11-5 including Sprints.

“The only thing now is this instability that really bothers him a lot,” Gene said. “Charles can cope with it. Believe me, I’m in the briefings, and there’s a lot of positives, but still not fully.

“There are still areas that we can give him a car where he feels comfortable and push straight away and can give him a proper weekend. He’s never really done it yet, except the Sprint in China. There’s been positives, but not the full package yet.”

Lewis Hamilton fans have cause for hope amid nightmare Belgian Grand Prix

During the Sprint race, Martin Brundle said Hamilton’s lack of traction was ‘awful’. That could make it difficult for the seven-time world champion to make progress.

Rain is forecast for Sunday’s race, which could theoretically shake up the running order. However, Ferrari tend to struggle in these conditions.

Indeed, Charles Leclerc says the Ferrari is ‘incredibly difficult’ to drive when it’s wet. The team introduced a much-anticipated rear suspension upgrade this weekend, but haven’t seen an immediate improvement.

For his many fans, the main reason for optimism is that Hamilton is working tirelessly behind the scenes. He isn’t losing his motivation even though his results have been much poorer than he expected.