Lewis Hamilton: “I can’t blame the car, Charles Leclerc showed it can finish third”. Lewis Hamilton finished seventh in Jeddah and admitted he never felt comfortable with the car.

A difficult weekend for the 7-time world champion
Lewis Hamilton started from seventh on the grid in Jeddah and finished the Saudi Arabian GP in the same position. Lando Norris had qualified ahead of him, but the British driver regained that place by overtaking the Williams of Carlos Sainz, who had outqualified him.

The duel with Lando Norris, which lasted three laps, was perhaps the only real highlight of Hamilton’s race—a battle sustained thanks to a certain stubbornness from Norris, which likely helped secure Charles Leclerc’s podium. In the final stages, Leclerc managed to keep Norris out of DRS range despite being at a disadvantage in terms of tyre compound (Charles Leclerc was on hards, Lando Norris on mediums).

Hamilton finished half a minute behind Charles Leclerc and made no excuses in the post-race interview with Sky Sports UK: “Was there a moment when I felt comfortable with the car? No, not even for a second. I can’t blame the car, which is clearly capable of finishing third. Charles Leclerc did a great job today. Do I have any ideas about what’s happening to me? No.” – the seven-time Formula 1 world champion concluded.