The seven-time world champion’s one-line answer has gone viral — and raised fresh questions inside Ferrari.
Lewis Hamilton tried to find a silver lining after his latest qualifying disappointment in Qatar, and the only positive he could muster was the warm weather. After exiting in Q1 ahead of the Sprint, the Brit offered just nine words to Rachel Brookes, saying it was “the same as always” before adding that at least the weather was nice.
The clip quickly spread online for all the wrong reasons, especially given Hamilton’s ongoing struggles. Coming into Qatar, he had scored only 10 points in the previous three weekends — one of the bleakest stretches of his storied Formula 1 career.
Inside the Ferrari garage: concern grows over Hamilton’s form
Hamilton did show flashes of progress earlier in the autumn with strong results in Italy, the United States and Mexico, even qualifying a season-best third in Mexico City. He had also been inching closer to Charles Leclerc in one-lap pace. But in the closing rounds of his first season in red, his form has dipped again — and Ferrari have taken notice.
According to Motorsport Italy, there are now “legitimate questions” being asked about Hamilton’s long-term future. His contract runs for two more years, but exit clauses for 2026 are understood to be in place. The team acknowledges that the car is their biggest issue, yet there is growing worry about the widening performance gap between their drivers. Hamilton is reportedly “anxiously” waiting for the season to end so he can begin what he sees as a crucial reset. If the regulations were staying the same next year, the report claims he might already be considering stepping away.
Verstappen blames age — but that’s not the full story
Leclerc qualified ninth for the Qatar Sprint, highlighting the Ferrari’s limitations, but he still outpaced Hamilton by four-tenths in SQ1. Over the last four sessions in which both drivers set representative laps, Leclerc has beaten Hamilton by a combined 33 grid places.
Max Verstappen has suggested that age is catching up with Hamilton and that, at 40, he won’t improve while Leclerc continues to develop. But that argument doesn’t entirely hold up. Fernando Alonso, aged 44, was one of the standout performers in Qatar Sprint qualifying and will start fourth on Saturday. Age affects every athlete differently — and Ferrari’s concerns right now are less about Hamilton’s birth certificate and more about the form he needs to rediscover heading into 2026.
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