“We’ve been nowhere”: Ferrari face Qatar Grand Prix reality

Written by Kavi Khandelwal

The Ferrari drivers breathed a sigh of relief after the difficult 2025 Qatar Grand Prix. The pair were deeply frustrated with the car's uncompetitive performance, and both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton spoke with an exhausted honestly, focused entirely on the need to rest for the season finale.

Credit: Formula One

Leclerc was visibly dismayed by the lack of pace throughout the event, finding little comfort in the final result.

"It’s been incredibly tough, very frustrating weekend. It’s just been, we’ve just been nowhere from the first lap to the very last lap and I have no words. It's just very disappointing to see that amount of performance."

With only the final round remaining, Leclerc’s immediate goal shifted from championship fight to simply finishing the season on a high note before the winter break.

"I just hope that we can finish on a higher note in Abu Dhabi. The mindset will for sure be motivated to try and turn the situation around to at least go on holiday with a little bit more happiness. But yeah, I cannot promise that we have not seen that anywhere today."

Hamilton, who managed to salvage some progress during the race, summed up the event as difficult, citing a safety car period as the decisive moment that ruined his momentum.

"I think it was, it went forwards. I had a really good start, like first lap, and made a lot of progress. I couldn't believe when the safety car came out on lap seven, because that was the safety car, like the SC lap, where if one comes out, everyone stops."

The mandatory pit stop sequence was complicated by the timing, forcing him into a costly double-stack behind his teammate.

"Then I had to double stack, obviously, and I lost places. That was definitely frustrating. Then after that, everyone's stopping in the same lap. What a not a great race to be racing."

Hamilton, who also revealed spending time during the weekend thinking deeply about the car’s setup and the team’s current predicament, made it clear that the focus is no longer on 2025. Instead, the final Grand Prix serves as a hurdle before a necessary, aggressive reset.

"It's about getting through Abu Dhabi and then making all the changes that are necessary after that for next year."