Lewis Hamilton endured another difficult qualifying session at the Emila Romagna Grand Prix on Saturday afternoon. He’ll start the race in Imola from eighth on the grid.
Mercedes teammate George Russell once again had the edge over the seven-time world champion. Russell’s 1:15.234 was more than two and a half tenths quicker.
The 26-year-old now leads the qualifying head-to-head for the season 6-1. Only Max Verstappen (7-0 vs Sergio Perez) and Alex Albon (6-0 vs Logan Sargeant) have been more dominant in the intra-team battles.
Hamilton finds himself behind not only Russell but the RB of Yuki Tsunoda, who was one of the stars in qualifying in seventh. The Briton posted his strongest result of the season last time out in Miami as he finished sixth, but this represents a fresh setback.
He’s enduring the poorest campaign of his career to date as he approaches the end of his historic tenure at Mercedes. Ferrari announced back in the winter that they’d signed him for 2025.
The Silver Arrows have repeatedly emphasised the temperamental nature of their W15. But thus far, it’s Russell who’s been able to drive around those problems to a greater extent.
Damon Hill wants to know when Toto Wolff will exclude Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes meetings
Speaking live on Sky Sports F1 after the session, Damon Hill suggested that Hamilton was somewhat distracted. He hinted that his focus is already shifting towards his next destination.
The 1996 world champion is wondering when Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff will be forced to start restricting Hamilton’s access. He won’t want the departing driver to be able to bring any secrets with him to Maranello.
Wolff has recently praised his professionalism but it will no doubt be an awkward situation. The Mercedes-Hamilton partnership has been more successful than any other, and both sides will be keen to avoid an acrimonious end.
“Lewis is disappointed,” Hill said. “He’s got other things on his mind, don’t forget.
“I wanted to ask Toto when we were chatting to him earlier, at what point is he no longer involved in briefings to do with the future and what they’re going to do with the set-up of the car?”
How Ferrari fans have reacted to Lewis Hamilton at Imola
This is, of course, Hamilton’s first race on Italian soil since that move to Ferrari was confirmed. After spending much of his career as the enemy of the Tifosi, he will race in their colours next year.
Hill’s colleague Karun Chandhok says that they’re already warming to the 103-time winner. He noticed Hamilton receiving a ‘fantastic reception’ as he entered the paddock on Friday.
The Imola circuit is located just over 50 miles away from Ferrari’s Maranello HQ. But Hill reckons that Wolff would prevent Hamilton from visiting the facility after the race if he made such a request.
Behind the scenes, the relationship between the two is apparently becoming strained. Wolff has been left with an ‘open wound’ by Hamilton’s shock move, but the Stevenage-born racer is tired of ‘waiting for answers’ on Mercedes’ struggles.
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