Lewis Hamilton described Ferrari’s shock double early elimination in Emilia Romagna Grand Prix qualifying as “devastating” after the Italian team’s disappointing season hit a new low on home soil.
For the first time at historic Imola, which is staging its 32nd grand prix this weekend, Ferrari failed to get a car into the top-10 positions on the grid after Charles Leclerc and Hamilton dropped out of Q2 in 11th and 12th places respectively.
It was also the first time in almost a year since last June’s Canadian GP that Ferrari had failed to reach Q3.
Hamilton, who qualified one-tenth of a second behind Leclerc, is racing in front of the Ferrari’s famous Tifosi fans for the first time this weekend.
And a disappointed seven-time world champion told Sky Sports F1: “Tough one. Ultimately, I feel super gutted, devastated that we weren’t able to get through.
“I really feel like we had made so many positive steps through the weekend. The car was generally feeling better, brakes were better today, the balance was really nice.
“In Q2, run one felt decent, and then when we put the new tyres on, for some I just didn’t have any more grip and couldn’t go any faster.
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Both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were eliminated from Q2 as Ferrari’s problems intensified during qualifying
“You see everyone else, they managed to switch the tyres on clearly. We definitely need to look into that.”
Elaborating on his disappointment, Hamilton added: “The reason it’s devastating is just to see everyone who’s worked so hard in the garage, to be in Italy for the first Italian race for me and Ferrari and to not make it to Q3, it’s definitely bittersweet.”
The Ferrari pair had started the final Q2 runs inside the top 10 in fifth and sixth positions but left themselves vulnerable to elimination after failing to set improved times on new sets of soft tyres on their respective final attempts.
And that proved to be the case as, behind them on the road, Williams’ Carlos Sainz, Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly on soft tyres, and the Aston Martin duo of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll on the theoretically slower mediums, all set superior lap times to duly relegate the Ferraris out of the top 10.
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Highlights from qualifying at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
But asked if there had been more from them to extract in the car, Leclerc said: “I don’t think so.
“You can always do a little bit more with a lap and improve quite a few things, but we are just nowhere at the moment.
“There’s not enough performance in the car, and I keep repeating myself.
“There’s just not the potential that we would hope inside this car at the moment, and we need to be better.”
Lewis Hamilton looks at the timing screens after being knocked out of Q2 alongside team-mate Charles Leclerc
Ferrari drivers now braced for ‘tough’ and ‘very hard’ race
Already a mammoth 152 points behind Constructors’ Championship leaders McLaren – who start with their cars first and fourth on the grid – fourth-placed Ferrari will now aim to try and salvage a respectable result from their lowly grid spots in Sunday’s 63-lap grand prix.
However, neither Hamilton nor Leclerc are expecting that to prove an easy challenge.
“It’s all big ifs. It’s a very difficult track to overtake,” said Hamilton of the narrow 3.05-mile Imola layout.
“I think tomorrow it will be hard to progress. We’ll have to battle hard to be able to figure a way to progress forwards.
“Just getting into the top 10 and getting further up the top 10 is going to be tough. There’s a lot of quick cars ahead of us.”
Leclerc, who had shown strong race pace in Friday practice, agreed.
“Very, very hard,” he said.
“But I can fight as much as I want, but at the moment I cannot do miracles. This is what there is in the car. I’m trying to extract the maximum out of it. That’s it.”
Sky Sports F1’s Emilia Romagna GP Schedule
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Look back at some of the most dramatic moments to have taken place at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
Sunday May 18
7.25am: F3 Feature Race
8.55am: F2 Feature Race
12:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Emilia Romagna GP build-up
2pm: The EMILIA ROMAGNA GRAND PRIX
4pm: Chequered Flag: Emilia Romagna GP reaction
5pm: Ted’s Notebook
*Also live on Sky Sports Main Event
F1’s European season begins with the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Sunday with lights out at 2pm, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
