Lewis Hamilton’s brutally honest verdict on Ferrari’s performance: “Just to get into Q3 is tough”

Lewis Hamilton delivered a somber take on his "inconsistent" qualifying that saw him exit Q2 at the Miami GP. The 7x F1 world champion confessed that it's getting "tough" to even reach Q3 of late.

After a seventh-place qualifying for the sprint, Hamilton was unable to improve on his timings for the main race, as he locked up on his final flying lap and logged his first Q2 exit for Ferrari at P12. His team's decision to keep him on used softs further exacerbated the 40-year-old.

While used softs were the norm during the early runs, Hamilton relied on a fresh set of softs to reach Q2, a strategy the team chose not to repeat in the second round of qualifying.

During the post-race press interview with Sky Sports F1, Hamilton talked in depth about the issues plaguing his recent outings with the SF-25.

"We’ll keep trying, we’re only six races in, but we’re struggling big time. We’re trying our hardest not to make big set-up changes, but no matter what we do, it’s so inconsistent every time we go out," Lewis Hamilton said via Formula1.com

"We’ve got problems with brakes, we’ve got problems with this instability that we’re struggling with. We’re just generally not quick enough – just to get into Q3 is tough for us at the moment, and once you’re then on that backfoot it’s hard to pick up those points,” he added.

Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc reached Q3 but had to settle for P8 behind the Williams pairing. He currently ranks fifth in the driver standings, two spots above Lewis Hamilton.

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Lewis Hamilton reflects upon his gamble with slicks during the Miami Sprint

Lewis Hamilton began the Miami sprint race one spot above the cut-off line for points, but his fortunes turned after an early switch to slicks brought him into contention among the frontrunners. Hamilton pitted on lap 12 and came out in 15th, while the rest of the field, who were on intermediates, followed suit in a flurry of pitstops.

With the track drying up fast, Hamilton found enough grip to overtake Max Verstappen and secure third place. Speaking with the media post-race, Hamilton revealed his thought process on the gamble with slicks.

"Got into the inters and I was just sliding around and had the Williams behind me and another one behind him... So,'I've got to roll the dice. I was full lock through Turn 12 and full lock through Turn 16 and it still wasn't turning. So I was like, 'Let's just go for it."

The result marks Lewis Hamilton's second consecutive sprint podium finish with Ferrari, first being the sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix, where he also scored his first pole with the team. The Briton heads into Sunday's race behind a highly competitive top ten that has qualified within six-tenths of each other.