Already downbeat after qualifying in Bahrain, Lewis Hamilton cut a dejected figure in Saudi Arabia as he spoke of needing a “brain transplant” in what will be a “painful” F1 2025.

That’s because the Briton doesn’t see a “fix” to the issues that are plaguing him at Ferrari.

Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari struggles continued in Saudi

And for Martin Brundle, it means more “very hard” to watch interviews.

Having won the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint from lights to flag, Hamilton believed he had silenced his “yapping” critics.

“The amount of critics and people I’ve heard yapping along the way just clearly not understanding maybe because they’ve never had the experience, or just unaware,” he said.

“So it felt great to come here and feel more comfortable in the car because in Melbourne I really didn’t feel comfortable in the car.”

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But 24 hours later he was disqualified from the Grand Prix for excessive wear on his skid block. And it has been an uphill battle since.

Slumping to ninth in qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix where he was six-tenths slower than Charles Leclerc, Hamilton was his own biggest critic.

“I’m just not doing a good enough job on my side so I’ve just got to keep improving,” he told the media, including PlanetF1.com. “I really don’t know. I don’t have a lot of answers for you guys, I just wasn’t quick.”

He staged a fightback in the race to finish fifth, his best result of the season, but again found himself struggling to keep pace with Leclerc a week later in Saudi Arabia.

Told of his deficit to Leclerc in FP3, “Seven tenths first sector, four tenths second sector” said his race engineer Riccardo Adami, Hamilton let out a dejected: “Jeez.”

It was more of the same in qualifying where he was six-tenths behind his team-mate and declared he needed a “brain transplant” to gel with the Ferrari SF-25.

“I’ve just got to keep on taking a deep breath. I know that the fans aren’t happy. I’m sure the team are not happy. I know the bosses are not happy. And I’m not happy with my results,” he added.

But 24 hours, having failed to gain a single position in the Grand Prix, he worryingly said: “At the moment, there’s no fix. This is how it’s going to be for the rest of the year. It’s just going to be painful.”

Former F1 driver turned Sky pundit Brundle says it is painful to watch Hamilton beat himself up.

“Hamilton would finish half a minute behind his team-mate Leclerc in seventh, albeit showing strong pace from time to time,” he wrote in his post-race Sky Sports column.

“The pace is in there somewhere but it’s a very hard watch when Lewis is doing post-race interviews at the moment.

“He’s not happy with his performances and is clearly more than a little perplexed and disappointed.”

Hamilton has scored 31 points in the opening five races of the F1 2025 season, putting him seventh in the Drivers’ standings where he trails championship leader Oscar Piastri by 68 points.

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