“Still have hopes”: Ferrari’s contrasting qualifying session in Abu Dhabi

Written by Maham Mir

Lewis Hamilton on-track during FP3 prior to his crash | Credit: Formula One

Ferrari’s final qualifying session was a story of two halves as seven time world champion Lewis Hamilton faced his third consecutive Q1 elimination and will start Sunday’s Grand Prix in P16. In contrast, his teammate Charles Leclerc qualified in P5.

Speaking to the media after his elimination, Hamilton’s minimal comments filled in the gaps about his experience in 2025’s final qualifying session. Hamilton confirmed that there were “lots of changes” made to his car overnight between FP2 and FP3.

Hamilton, speaking about his feelings facing his third Q1 elimination, stated: “I don’t have the words to describe [it]”. He further added that there’s “not much that I can say about it”.

After an untimely crash in FP3 which saw him not only lose out on valuable running time but also required a rebuild of his car ahead of qualifying, Hamilton seemed positive on his first timed run on medium tyres however slowly slid to the back of the pack. 

Contrastingly, Hamilton’s teammate Leclerc also struggled but managed to bring his SF-25 into Q3 and behind the three championship contenders and George Russell. Leclerc, like Hamilton, confirmed that he too “completely changed the car” between FP2 and FP3. 

Although things looked touch and go for the Monegasque driver during Q1, he stated that he “went all in” for his final run in Q3. Speaking of his mindset on his final timed lap, he stated that it was “finish the lap or crash into the wall”.

Leclerc, who shared FP1 with his brother Arthur Leclerc and repeated being the only brothers in Formula One history to be teammates in a session, struggled on Friday. However, he remained positive and outlined that “we still have hopes” going into the final race weekend of the season.  

For Ferrari, who finished P2 in the World Constructors’ Championship in 2024, it has been a disappointing season overall as their winless streak seems to be all but confirmed as does their P4 position in the WCC. Both Scuderia drivers will be hoping to end the season on as much of a high as possible in Sunday’s Grand Prix.