Lewis Hamilton devastated as Ferrari plunge to new qualifying low

Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton after failing to qualify for Q3. PHOTO: REUTERS

UPDATED May 18, 2025, 03:30 AM

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IMOLA, Italy - Lewis Hamilton spoke of his devastation as Ferrari plunged to a qualifying low for the season on May 17 ahead of his first race in Italy with Formula One's oldest and most successful team.

Neither Ferrari reached the top 10 shootout at Imola, the F1 circuit closest to Ferrari's Maranello factory, with Charles Leclerc 11th fastest and seven-times world champion Hamilton 12th for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

It was the first time in seven races that Ferrari had failed to get at least one of their cars into the top 10 and the sting was all the more painful for coming in front of the passionate tifosi.

"Definitely devastated and gutted," was Hamilton's assessment after McLaren's Oscar Piastri took pole with Red Bull's Max Verstappen second.

"The car was genuinely feeling pretty good. I felt like the car setup was right and we just can't go quick enough," he told reporters.

"We threw the soft (tyre) on at the end and for some reason it just did not come alive, there was no grip," added the Briton, who joined Ferrari from Mercedes in January.