Lewis Hamilton’s Magic Touch In Qualifying Seems Gone – Coulthard Says That’s A Big Problem

Lewis Hamilton Has Lost ‘One Of His Superpowers’

Lewis Hamilton recently had a tough time in qualifying again, this time in Bahrain. He finished six-tenths of a second behind Charles Leclerc. Because of that, Leclerc started at the front of the grid (helped by a penalty for George Russell), while Hamilton only managed to qualify in ninth place.

After the session, Hamilton spoke to the media and said:

“I’m just not doing a good enough job on my side. I have to keep improving. It definitely doesn’t feel good.”

When asked what he could do to go faster, he said:

“I really don’t know. I don’t have many answers. I just wasn’t quick.”

Former F1 driver David Coulthard thinks the problem is that Hamilton’s car isn’t “talking” to him — meaning Hamilton doesn’t feel connected to it. Because of that, Coulthard believes Hamilton has lost one of his biggest strengths: his ability to qualify well.

Hamilton still holds the record for the most pole positions in F1 history (103). He did get a Sprint race pole recently in Shanghai, but in regular Grand Prix qualifying, his best result so far was only fifth in China.

Coulthard told Channel 4:

“It’s interesting. Charles Leclerc questions strategy a lot from the cockpit. He wanted a one-stop strategy or different tyres — though we’re not given all that info.

“But Hamilton seemed positive after the race because he moved forward and raced well. That’s never been in doubt.

“His real problem right now is qualifying. He can explain the reasons very clearly — how the car isn’t working for him — but the truth is, he needs to qualify better. It’s strange to say that about a seven-time World Champion because qualifying used to be one of his superpowers.”

Hamilton has spent his whole career with Mercedes power, but now, in 2025, he’s driving for Ferrari. He told reporters that the Ferrari car feels very unfamiliar to him.

“It just feels so alien,” Hamilton said about the Ferrari F1 2025 car.

He explained that he’s trying to change the way he drives because the Ferrari is very different. He also said the tools and systems Ferrari uses are unlike what he’s used to.

“Sometimes we drivers get stuck in our ways, thinking the car should change to fit us,” he said. “But that’s not working here. So now, I’m trying to change myself to fit the car, and learning how Ferrari works.”