Lewis Hamilton suffered a second consecutive Q1 finish for Ferrari, while Charles Leclerc joined him in failing to make the top 10 at Imola.
A “devastated” Lewis Hamilton made an alarming Max Verstappen comparison after his shock qualifying exit, saying Ferrari “cannot match the Dutchman” through the fast opening corners.
Both Hamilton and Charles Leclerc suffered an embarrassing Q2 exit in qualifying for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and will start in the 11th and 12th centuries to the disappointment of the drivers and the Tifosi.
Hamilton had hopes of making it to the final part of qualifying, which he failed to do for the first time as a Ferrari driver in Miami.
Unfortunately, the Maranello-based outfit struggled for outright pace, with the C6 tires not working for the seven-time world champion.
When asked by RacingNews365 for his feelings after qualifying, Hamilton replied: “Yeah, definitely, feel gutted.
“I just feel disappointed because the car felt really good overall. I honestly thought the car was just right with the setup, the brakes worked.
“Everything was kind of in place, and we just couldn’t go any faster. If you look at how fast Max was going through the 2nd and 3rd turns into Turn 2, we just couldn’t keep up. And when we put the new soft on at the end, for some reason, it just didn’t come alive.”
The anticipation for Hamilton and Ferrari is significant this weekend, with the team selling out sections of the grandstands around the circuit.
Unfortunately, Hamilton is cautious that the SF-25 lacks a considerable lap time compared to its competitors.
“We have a massive crowd here. I think it’s sold out or something for tomorrow,” Hamilton added.
“Like I said, I just thought we’d get through, I thought the cars were alive, and watching these guys, like I did 14.7, I mean, we could only get 15.7. There’s a lot of time missing.”
