Hamilton ‘sorry’ as Ferrari struggles continue

SAKHIR, Bahrain — Lewis Hamilton cut a dejected figure after qualifying ninth for Ferrari in Bahrain on Saturday, saying “it’s definitely not a good feeling for sure.”

Hamilton is gearing up for his fourth race since his dream switch to Ferrari but the honeymoon period appears over already.

After having his first Q3 run deleted due to a track limits violation Hamilton qualified down the order, with teammate Charles Leclerc qualifying third and six tenths up the road.

Hamilton said he was “really sorry” to his Ferrari team on team radio, and was not in a talkative mood in the media pen on Saturday evening.

“I don’t have a lot of answers for you guys, just wasn’t quick today,” the seven-time world champion said, in a session full of short answers.

“I’m just not doing a good enough job on my side so I’ve got to keep improving.”

When asked if it’s the lowest he’s felt since joining Ferrari, a move which was greeted with huge fanfare in the lead-in to the season, Hamilton replied: “It’s definitely not a good feeling for sure.”

He then referenced Leclerc’s performance.

“Clearly the car is good enough [to be higher] which is good,” he said.

Hamilton had caused a stir after the Japanese Grand Prix when he suggested something was not working on his car the same as it was on Leclerc’s.

Pressed if that was still the case, he replied simply: “That’s been resolved.”

The Brit sounded confident he can make progress on Sunday.

Asked by ESPN what was possible in the race itself, Hamilton said: “Hopefully top five … I’ll try and see if I can get into the top five, let’s see.”