Lewis Hamilton says he’s ‘useless’ and suggests a driver change at Ferrari after teammate takes pole

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) – Lewis Hamilton called himself “absolutely useless” and suggested Ferrari should change drivers after he qualified 12th for the Hungarian Grand Prix and teammate Charles Leclerc took pole position.

It was a new low in a difficult first season with Ferrari for seven-time Formula 1 champion Hamilton, who qualified outside the top 10 for the second race in a row.

“I’m useless, absolutely useless,” Hamilton told British broadcaster Sky Sports.

“The team have no problem. You’ve seen the car’s on pole. So they probably need to change driver.”

Hamilton had said “every time, every time” over the radio after he was eliminated in the second part of qualifying. That signified that “it’s me every time,” he clarified to Sky later.

Hamilton has yet to finish on the podium in a Grand Prix race with Ferrari, with a best finish of fourth, though he did win a sprint race in China in March.

Leclerc is fifth in the standings, only one position ahead of Hamilton, but has five podium finishes in 2005. In Sunday’s race, he’ll aim to give Ferrari its first F1 win since October.

Last week, Hamilton said it was “crunch time” and revealed he’s been holding a series of meetings with Ferrari executives to discuss improvements and ensure he has more of a say in how the team develops its car for the sweeping regulation changes coming in 2026.