A dejected Lewis Hamilton admitted after Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying that he is “not doing a good enough job”.

That blunt verdict came after he qualified his Ferrari P9 only for the race, and ended qualifying six-tenths adrift of team-mate Charles Leclerc who lines-up on the front row.

Lewis Hamilton ‘not doing good enough’: Mercedes deja vu?

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

Hamilton has not had the smoothest of starts to Ferrari life after making his blockbuster move from Mercedes.

While experiencing the high of winning the China Sprint from pole, Hamilton has not finished ahead of Leclerc in the opening three grands prix, with the odds now stacked against him to halt that run on Sunday at the Bahrain International Circuit.

In Hamilton’s final season at Mercedes, it was rather his qualifying form which sparked debate after a comprehensive defeat against George Russell, and in Bahrain, Hamilton’s one-lap pace was back in the spotlight.

And it would trigger an apology to race engineer Riccardo Adami over the radio for his P9 effort.

“I’m really sorry, guys,” he said. “Sorry, man. Really sorry.”

Adami informing Hamilton that he had lost four tenths in the second sector, plus three tenths in the final sector, was met with silence.

And discussing the situation with Sky F1 post-qualifying, Hamilton said: “It’s just about my performance, poor performance.

“There’s no reasons, [I’m] just not doing the job.”

Speaking to the media, including PlanetF1.com, Hamilton added: “I’m just not doing a good enough job on my side so I’ve just got to keep improving.”

Asked what he can do to instigate said improvement, Hamilton responded: “I really don’t know. I don’t have a lot of answers for you guys, I just wasn’t quick today.”

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Having listened to those comments from Hamilton, Sky F1 analyst Karun Chandhok – the former Hispania and Lotus driver – was having serious flashbacks to Hamilton’s challenging final year as a Mercedes driver in 2024.

Hamilton’s “definitely not fast anymore” self-assessment after Qatar 2024 qualifying was a comment that stood out in particular.

“I heard his comments today and he sounded completely like he was on the floor,” Chandhok said of Hamilton.

“If I closed my eyes, it was like watching him wear the Mercedes uniform last year.

“Didn’t it just sound like him last year? How many times last year did we hear him say, ‘I can’t qualify.’

“I just closed my eyes and thought, ‘Is he in a Mercedes race-suit again?’ It just felt like last year again. I don’t know what’s happened.

“With age, the thing that you lose is the ultimate speed in qualifying, but six-tenths to Leclerc, it was a lot.”

Hamilton sits P8 in the early F1 2025 Drivers’ Championship standings, two positions and five points behind Leclerc.

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