1 day ago
6
If championship points were awarded for dominating the war of words, Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton would be leading the pack.
Unfortunately for the seven-time world champion, reality offers no such consolation. Hamilton has now received a second rebuke from Ferrari’s top brass after another underwhelming performance this weekend.
He described his first season at the Scuderia as the worst of his 19-year career following his last-place qualifying result for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, adding: 'No matter how much I try, it keeps getting worse.'
The 40-year-old also admitted he was eager for the year to end, with two rounds remaining - Qatar on Sunday and Abu Dhabi the following weekend - and said he was not looking forward to next season either.
Ferrari’s team principal Frederic Vasseur has since urged his lead driver to 'calm down' in the wake of those remarks.
Vasseur said: 'I understand the reaction from Lewis just after the race. But he has to calm down and be focused on the next two races.
Ferrari’s team principal Frederic Vasseur has urged his lead driver Hamilton to 'calm down' in the wake of his remarks that he was having the 'worst ever season' of his 19-year career
Vasseur said: 'I understand the reaction from Lewis just after the race. But he has to calm down and be focused' - the second time he has received a public reprimand from his Ferrari bosses
Hamilton posed alongside Jay-Z and Beyonce ahead this weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix
'Lewis was there in practice and the pace was good, but starting from 20th is not the best way to have good results. For now, we have to calm down. To jump out of the car and make the first comments, it is always a bit too much.'
It was the second time Hamilton has received a public reprimand from his bosses, following an earlier warning from Ferrari chairman John Elkann to 'talk less'.
The latest rebuke came after Hamilton’s explosive comments on Sky Sports, where he admitted: 'This is a nightmare, and I have been living it for a while.
'The flip between the dream of driving for this amazing team and the nightmare of the results we have had, the ups and downs, it's challenging.'
Since his high-profile switch to Ferrari last year, Hamilton has struggled to find form, failing to reach the podium in any race and qualifying last in Las Vegas.
That back-of-the-grid start was a career first for the Briton. Although he managed to fight his way up to 10th - later classified eighth after McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were disqualified for a technical infringement - this still left him him 74 points behind team-mate Charles Leclerc in the drivers' standings.
Ferrari have also slipped to fourth in the constructors' championship and, when asked if Ferrari can move above his former team Mercedes, who are 53 points ahead, to rescue a runners-up spot, a dejected Hamilton added: 'At this rate, with my performance, we don’t (have a chance).
Hamilton secured his 'dream' move earlier this season, but is yet to land a podium in red
Hamilton returns to action this weekend in Doha, where his compatriot Lando Norris will attempt to land his maiden world title if he manages to outscore Verstappen and Piastri
'I have had 22 bad weekends (this season), so I anticipate another couple.'
Hamilton returns to action this weekend in Doha, where his compatriot Lando Norris will attempt to land his maiden world title.
The 26-year-old British driver will be able to clinch the crown if he outscores both Red Bull's Max Verstappen and his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri by at least two points over the weekend.
