Lewis Hamilton 'Happier' after 'Okay' Saudi GP Qualifying Result

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton finished P7 at the end of qualifying, which would have delighted him on Friday.

Through most of the practice sessions, Lewis was quite off the pace of the field, especially when compared to his teammate Charles Leclerc, who has asserted himself as the quicker of the pair.

Hamilton mentioned at the end of Friday that he would be satisfied with a top 10 qualifying result, and he successfully created a strong foundation for the race on Sunday, starting closer to the front than he probably anticipated.

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“I wouldn’t say I’m satisfied, but I’m happier than I was yesterday, and also through every practice session I was 12th or 13th,” the seven-time World Champion reflected.

“I just wasn’t feeling good with the car beneath me, it really wasn’t coming easy at all, so to just have got into Q3, it doesn’t matter how close it is, I’m grateful to have got through to Q3."

"P7 is okay, it’s better than my last Qualifying and so I’ve still got work to do to gel with this car.”

Lewis usually performs excellently on race day, so with his improved start, a P4 or P5 finish seems likely. However, Mercedes appears to have serious pace, and Red Bull is performing well on the track.

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While the SF-25 may not have the fastest lap time to compete at the top, the car appears to perform well in terms of tire wear, which could enable Ferrari to excel during the race.

A recurring theme for Lewis Hamilton after an F1 session is his commitment to continue working hard to enhance his comfort and performance in the Ferrari.

“I might be just so stuck in it that it’s never going to change, but I’m behind the scenes working – I couldn’t work really any harder and trying to implicate things that I’m seeing and do it actually on track," Hamilton said.

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“The car’s reacting differently every time we go out, so that’s definitely challenging.”

“We didn’t really do a long run in practice, but this is I think a track where I think there is some overtaking, so [I’m] looking forwards.”

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