Damon Hill drops 2-word verdict for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc's disappointing F1 Imola GP qualifying

Ferrari left the home fans heartbroken in Imola, as Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc failed to advance past Q2 in the qualifying session of the 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Both drivers were disappointed and apologized to fans, which drew a reaction from former F1 world champion Damon Hill.

At this year's Imola GP, F1 introduced a new set of soft tires, C6, which exposed the drivers at the high-speed chicanes of the Imola circuit. During the qualifying session, Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda had a horrifying crash as his car flipped after hitting the barriers. Franco Colapinto also met a similar fate.

Meanwhile, for Ferrari, Imola happened to be their home race. However, Leclerc and Hamilton's Q2 exit left the home supporters disappointed. They failed to improve on the last lap of the Q2 session as Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll flew past them since their gamble on medium tires worked wonders.

Needless to say, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were apologetic to fans in the post-qualifying media round. Damon Hill, the former F1 world champion, reacted to the Ferrari teammates' upsetting statement and said:

"Difficult day."

Damon Hill's IG Story [Image Source: @96f1champ/Instagram]

It was indeed a challenging day for Ferrari. The drivers weren't pleased with the stiff brakes, and the lack of pace added to the misery. Speaking to the media, Leclerc stated that he could not do any miracles on Sunday, as the car's maximum potential was not good enough to cover the deficit.

Hamilton, on the other hand, was devastated. However, he did claim that the car felt better on Saturday compared to Friday. The Brit had better grip and functioning brakes. However, the new tires in Q2 let him down as he noticed negligible performance gain. Lastly, Aston Martin's gamble to run on medium tires further ruined his chances to advance into Q3.

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Lewis Hamilton skeptical about positive results at Imola

Lewis Hamilton at F1 Grand Prix of Emilia-Romagna - Previews - Source: Getty

If Ferrari's home fans weren't already disappointed, Lewis Hamilton has further poured cold water on their hopes. After finishing P12 in the qualifying session, the Brit claimed that Sunday's race would be equally challenging due to fewer overtaking opportunities.

Talking to the media, Hamilton said:

“It’s all big ifs; I don’t know. It’s a very difficult track to overtake [on], so I think tomorrow it will be hard to progress. We’ll have to battle hard to be able to figure out a way to progress forwards, but just getting to the top 10 and getting further up the top 10 is going to be tough. There are quick cars in front of us.”

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc had similar predictions regarding the Imola race on Sunday.