Another Nightmare Saturday for Hamilton and Ferrari in Abu Dhabi

On a day when rivals at Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes were fighting near the front, Hamilton’s early exit underlined just how bruising this era has been for one of the sport’s greatest drivers since his move to Maranello. Abu Dhabi felt less like an isolated bad day and more like the symbolic closing chapter of a difficult Ferrari qualifying era.

From FP3 crash to Q1 exit: how Hamilton’s Saturday unravelled

Hamilton’s problems began even before qualifying. The Ferrari driver crashed in FP3, losing the rear of the car and hitting the barriers at Yas Marina. Although Ferrari managed to get the car ready, the crash had several knock‑on effects:

• Lost track time: Hamilton missed the crucial final minutes of FP3.
• Possible set‑up compromises: Depending on the damage, the team may have reverted to safer settings.
• Shaken confidence: A crash just before qualifying can affect the level of trust on the limit.

A pattern of Q1 exits

Abu Dhabi was not an isolated shock. Over the closing stretch of the 2025 season, Hamilton has suffered several Q1 eliminations. This pattern reflects a narrow and unforgiving Ferrari, difficulty adapting to balance quirks, and increased midfield competitiveness.

Intra‑team comparison: Hamilton versus Leclerc

The contrast with Charles Leclerc made Hamilton’s day even more difficult. Leclerc was again the Ferrari most consistently in contention for the upper midfield or Q3, underlining that the SF‑25 was at least capable of more than a Q1 exit. This highlights that the gap cannot be explained solely by machinery.

Technical and driving factors behind the Q1 elimination

The available analysis points to several likely factors:

• Car balance and rear stability: Hamilton has frequently complained about rear instability on entry and mid‑corner.
• Tyre warm‑up: Getting the tyres into the correct temperature window on the out‑lap is crucial.
• After‑effects of the FP3 crash: Subtle changes in feel can make a car feel different.
• Traffic and track evolution: Q1 is often chaotic, and timing the final run is critical.

The end of an era

Since leaving Mercedes for Ferrari, Hamilton has endured no world titles and cars rarely capable of consistent wins. Abu Dhabi 2025 feels like a condensed summary of this difficult phase: flashes of potential, but too often undermined by a car that is hard to trust. Whether Ferrari can give him a more competitive package in the next technical cycle will determine if this era is remembered as a brief dip or a long decline.