Lewis Hamilton says there are no words ‘to express how sorry I am’ after Abu Dhabi Q1 exit

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Lewis Hamilton was once again left dejected after the final qualifying session of the 2025 season in Abu Dhabi. Hamilton qualified 16th, his third consecutive Q1 exit in the Ferrari.

Hamilton said ‘every time’ over the radio when Riccardo Adami confirmed that he was out. There has been a distinct air of resignation around the seven-time world champion in the season-ending triple-header.

Teammate Charles Leclerc qualified fifth, demonstrating that, while Ferrari certainly weren’t pole contenders, P16 was nowhere close to the car’s full potential.

Ferrari are already locked into fourth place in the standings, so there is little for them to fight for this weekend. Hamilton is trying to defend P6 in the standings from Kimi Antonelli, but that goal is unlikely to motivate him.

Lewis Hamilton apologises to Ferrari fans at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

In an interview with Canal+ after qualifying, Hamilton was asked if he had a message for the Ferrari fans. He responded with a profound apology.

“I don’t think there are any words to express how sorry I am for the team and for the fans,” he said.

There’s a narrative that Ferrari aren’t listening to Hamilton, but the 40-year-old is taking full responsibility for his own subpar performance levels in 2025.

This was clear in a separate interview with F1TV, where Hamilton said: “The team did a mega job, they deserve better for sure.”

Hamilton crashed in FP3 on Saturday, which forced Ferrari into a quick repair job before qualifying. He was on course to progress through the first two sectors of his final Q1 lap, but made an error a few corners from home.

What does Nico Rosberg think of Lewis Hamilton’s Abu Dhabi performance?

Rosberg mocked Hamilton after he crashed in FP3, but he has repeatedly said that he feels sorry for his former teammate.

In his eyes, the accident confirmed that Hamilton still isn’t comfortable in the Ferrari, even after 24 races.

Hamilton has only scored four points in his last four starts, one of the worst sequences of his F1 career. He’s welcoming the end of the ground-effect era and the advent of a new generation of cars.

The British driver was also out in Q1 on his Mercedes farewell last year, but managed to recover to fourth in the race.