StadiumPosts Logo
Stay upto date with notifications from Stadiumposts
Notifications can be managed in browser preferences

PODIUM DROUGHT: P18 THREATENS LEWIS HAMILTON'S CAREER-LONG RECORD

Lewis Hamilton suffers another Q1 exit in Qatar, marking a new low in his "nightmare" debut Ferrari season. An ex-McLaren mechanic points to a crisis of confidence.

Podium Drought: P18 Threatens Lewis Hamilton's Career-Long Record
Hamilton's P18 Confirms Mental Struggle

Lewis Hamilton had a tough time at the Qatar Grand Prix, getting knocked out in the first part of Sprint Qualifying for the second time this year. He only managed P18.

This also marks the fourth time this season that the 40-year-old hasn't made it past the first stage of qualifying. Twice before, he was out after Q1 during Grand Prix qualifying. In total, Hamilton has failed to reach the final qualifying stage 10 times.

In Las Vegas, Hamilton qualified last due to pace for the first time in his F1 career, after his first Q1 exit of 2025. Now, Sprint Qualifying at the Qatar GP matches his worst qualifying for a 100 km sprint in 2025, equaling his P18 in Belgium.

Back in March, during round two in China, Hamilton won the sprint from pole position. That's his only win in any race format as a Ferrari driver so far. He also took P3 in the Miami Sprint, his second and most recent podium this season.

After 22 of 24 rounds, Hamilton is still waiting for his first Grand Prix podium with Ferrari. The seven-time F1 champion has always managed at least one podium in every season of his 19-year career. Hamilton has described his first year with Ferrari as a nightmare.

He also called 2025 his worst season ever after the Las Vegas GP. Marc Priestley, who worked with Hamilton when he won his first title with McLaren in 2008, believes Hamilton's struggles with Ferrari clearly show a loss of confidence.

Priestley told BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra after Hamilton's SQ1 exit in Qatar, It’s really quite sad to see this. We know how talented and experienced Lewis Hamilton is. We also know how much his performance is affected by his emotions and what’s happening around him. When his confidence drops, which it clearly has recently, it really impacts how he performs. I’ve seen it firsthand.”

Sprint Qualifying in Qatar just adds to the problems of Lewis Hamilton's first year at Ferrari.

Sprint Qualifying at the Qatar GP is another low point in what's been a rough debut season for Hamilton as a Ferrari driver in 2025. His sprint win in China feels like a distant memory.

Things have been so bad in 2025 that Hamilton said he's not looking forward to 2026 after his tough time in Las Vegas. With only 152 points from 22 rounds, he's on track for his worst total since the points system changed in 2010, and his confidence has taken a big hit.

There's even talk that Hamilton might not finish his contract with Ferrari. He left Mercedes to replace Carlos Sainz on a two-year deal, with an option to stay through the 2027 season.

THE 2026 ULTIMATUM: WHY NEXT SEASON IS "MAKE OR BREAK" FOR LEWIS HAMILTON

After a winless 2025 debut, Lewis Hamilton faces a pivotal year. See why Steiner believes the 7x champ is nearing the F1 exit.

top-news
Hamilton’s exit clock is ticking

Guenther Steiner, who used to run the Haas team, thinks Lewis Hamilton might quit Formula 1 if Ferrari can't get to the top of the Driver's Championship by 2026—he thinks that season will be super important for the racing star.

Hamilton had a tough first year with Ferrari, ending up sixth in the F1 rankings with 156 points.

That was 86 points behind his teammate, Charles Leclerc, and he didn't even get on the podium once, which is a first for him in a full season.

He often said he was bummed out about how his Ferrari debut was going.

Back in November, after the Las Vegas Grand Prix, he told Sky Sports, I feel awful. This has been the worst season ever, and it just keeps getting worse no matter how hard I try. I'm trying everything I can, both in and out of the car.

Hamilton looked pretty sad a lot during the season because he couldn't really fight for race wins.

Steiner told Sports Krone, I think if Ferrari has a good car next season, Hamilton might be able to turn things around. If they are more competitive, Lewis might find his drive again. But if things stay the same, next season will probably be his last in Formula 1. He's not going to go through that again. The situation is tough for him, and you could see that in every interview. So, the next season will be key for him.

What's Hamilton saying about quitting?

When the media asks Hamilton about his F1 future, he doesn't want to talk about retiring.

At the end of the season, when someone asked him what he would say to those who think he might retire soon, the 40-year-old said, I wouldn't say anything to them. None of them have done what I've done, so they don't know anything more than I do.

Last summer, after some rumors that he might leave early, Hamilton said he's staying at Ferrari until his contract is up.

He said, For those writing stories about me thinking about not racing, I've just started here with Ferrari. I've been here for a few years, and I'm in it for the long run, so there's no question about what I'm focused on achieving with this team. There are zero doubts, so please stop making stuff up.

In 2026, everyone will still be wondering about Hamilton's future in F1, mainly if Ferrari keeps struggling with the new rules. And if Steiner is right, another year of not competing for a championship could be the end for him.

MAX VERSTAPPEN NAMED PEER-VOTED DRIVER OF THE YEAR FOR FIFTH CONSECUTIVE SEASON

Max Verstappen wins his 5th straight F1 peer award, beating champion Lando Norris. Lewis Hamilton drops out of the top 10 for the first time.

top-news
Verstappen Wins Fifth Straight Peer Award

Max Verstappen copped his fifth straight driver-of-the-year award in Formula 1's secret peer vote, even though he almost grabbed a fifth title in 2025 but didn't quite make it.

The drivers all voted in secret, except for four guys. The Red Bull driver beat out Lando Norris, who just won the world championship, for the number one spot.

The voting worked like the normal F1 points system. Drivers ranked their top 10 rivals. Verstappen got 25 points from six votes to win.

Norris, who won his first championship after a crazy season, came in second in the driver rankings for the second year running.

The McLaren driver won the title after fighting off pressure from Verstappen and his teammate, Oscar Piastri, all season long.

George Russell took third, moving up one spot from last year. The Mercedes driver had a killer season with two wins and seven more podiums.

Piastri was fourth, up one spot, even though his championship hopes fizzled out near the end. The Aussie was leading by 34 points at one point before his performance dropped off.

Charles Leclerc finished fifth, down two spots, even though he got everything he could out of Ferrari's SF-25. The Monegasque driver had seven podiums during a tough season that saw Ferrari finish fourth.

Carlos Sainz held onto sixth after a great comeback at Williams. After a rough start, the Spaniard grabbed two podiums in a strong second half of the season.

Fernando Alonso jumped two spots to seventh, and the two-time world champion had some crazy drives in Aston Martin's AMR25.

Alex Albon took eighth after his best season with Williams, while rookies Oliver Bearman and Isack Hadjar rounded out the top 10, getting props for their awesome first seasons.

Pierre Gasly almost made the list, even with 10 Q3 appearances in Alpine's tricky A525.

Lewis Hamilton, who's won seven world championships, didn't show up in the rankings, which is a first since they started doing this poll. It shows how rough his first season at Ferrari was.

The four drivers who skipped the vote were Hamilton, Nico Hulkenberg, Lance Stroll, and Yuki Tsunoda.

Premier League Standings

WhatsApp Read More News