Lewis Hamilton may be a seven-time World Champion and the king of pole positions in Formula 1 history—but right now, he’s grappling with the loss of a weapon that once made him unstoppable: qualifying pace.
That’s the view of former F1 driver and pundit David Coulthard, who believes Hamilton’s current struggle lies in what used to be one of his greatest strengths.
“It seems so difficult to say about a seven-time World Champion, but that was one of his superpowers in the past,” Coulthard told Channel 4. “And it’s just not there right now.”
Now driving for Ferrari after a long and dominant run with Mercedes, Hamilton has so far trailed his new teammate Charles Leclerc 3-1 in qualifying this season. In Bahrain, the gap was glaring—six tenths behind Leclerc, leaving Hamilton only ninth on the grid while Leclerc secured a front-row start (boosted by Russell’s penalty).
Despite picking up a Sprint pole in Shanghai, Hamilton’s best qualifying result in a full Grand Prix session this year has only been P5—far from the 103 pole positions he’s known for.
“I’m just not doing a good enough job on my side,” Hamilton admitted post-qualifying. “I’ve just got to keep improving. It’s definitely not a good feeling… I don’t have a lot of answers. I just wasn’t quick.”
Coulthard believes the core issue is that Hamilton simply isn’t “connected” with the car.
“The car’s not talking to him,” Coulthard said. “And when that happens, it robs him of his edge—especially over one lap.”
Hamilton himself echoed that sentiment, calling Ferrari’s 2025 car “alien” after spending his entire F1 career (18 years) with Mercedes power units.
“It really does feel so alien,” Hamilton told the media. “Sometimes as drivers, we get stuck in our ways and think, ‘I’ll just keep driving how I’ve always driven,’ but that’s not working anymore. I’m having to adapt—not just my driving, but also to Ferrari’s way of doing things. It’s completely different.”
Still, Hamilton’s race craft hasn’t gone anywhere. He continues to make gains on Sunday, but until he regains that sharp edge in qualifying, he’ll be playing catch-up.
In Formula 1, one lap can change everything. And for Lewis Hamilton, rediscovering that magic could be the key to turning his Ferrari chapter into another legendary run.
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