Lewis Hamilton admitted that he was downbeat after Friday practice for the F1 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, “I’m just looking at whether he can be in the top 10 at this point.”
Hamilton struggled with pace during practice at the Jeddah Cornish Circuit on Friday.
Hamilton was only able to set the 13th fastest time in his more representative second session.
The seven-time world champion was more than a sixth of Ferrari teammate Charles Leclair.
Looking forward to the qualifying round, Hamilton set an overwhelming target to enter the top 10.
“I don’t know my mates, and for me I’m looking at whether I can be in the top 10 at this point,” Hamilton said.
Ferrari struggled even more with soft tires during practice on Friday.
After setting the fastest time for anyone on the medium, Leclerc struggled to improve first with soft rubber.
The same was true for Hamilton. Hamilton shows that he had little time with his tyres marked red.
“It’s not the biggest. I think it was a problem for us to make the tires we are today,” explained Hamilton.
“It had nothing to do with the team, but I was struggling to get the tires to work.”
Can Lewis Hamilton correct his qualifying anguish?
Qualifying has been Hamilton’s Achilles heels since it began last year.
Hamilton was wiped out by George Russell in qualifying to head qualifying in 2024, defeating Russell just five times in 24 races.
He played against Nicolosberg for the first time in his Formula 1 career since 2014. There, Hamilton was beaten by his teammates in qualifying for the entire season.
Against Leclerc in 2025, he beat him once and missed him in Shanghai.
Based on Friday’s practice, Hamilton is unlikely to beat Leclerc.
When asked about the changes he could make overnight by Ferrari, Hamilton said on Saturday he would normally “retreat,” but considering how low he was in FP2, it would be difficult to fall back even further.
“We usually retreat on Saturdays,” Hamilton added. “I don’t often go from where I am.
“There were a few bits in the session, but I felt better. Once I got to the soft tires, it wasn’t there. I made some changes overnight and hopefully it’s back strongly.”