"Ferrari 7th and 8th in qualifying, 2026 is our year": F1 influencer on Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc's poor qualifying

After looking on course for a stellar qualifying session for Ferrari, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton qualified seventh and eighth for the Australian Grand Prix. Subsequently, F1 influencer Matt Gallagher took a jibe at the scarlet duo for a subpar qualifying session by drawing the differences between the expectations and the reality.

The Monegasque looked on par with Red Bull and McLaren during the free practice sessions as he topped FP2 held on Friday. While Hamilton was unable to finish top-three in any free practice session, his deficit seemingly closed up during the qualifying session, and the pair looked to be a threat for pole.

However, as the qualifying session unraveled, the SF-25 lost its edge as the seven-time champion even spun his car on turn 11 during Q2. The Ferrari pair was then unable to light up the track during the final qualifying segment as they had a massive delta to the top of six-and-a-half tenths of a second.

Racing Bulls' Yuki Tsunoda and Williams' Alex Albon out-qualified Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton to add salt to injury. This led people to take a dig at the scarlet duo on social media, including Gallagher, who wrote on X (formerly Twitter):

"Ferrari 7th and 8th in qualifying. 2026 is our year."

The Australian Grand Prix will be Hamilton's debut race for the Maranello-based team.

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Lewis Hamilton shares his expectations on his new journey with Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton at the F1 Grand Prix Of Australia - Qualifying - Source: Getty

After a stint of 12 years at Mercedes, it's a big change for Lewis Hamilton to adapt to the new working environment. Though the seventh-place qualification would not be highly uplifting, the seven-time champion has set some expectations for himself in the Scuderia.

Opening up about them ahead of the Australian Grand Prix during the FIA press conference, the 40-year-old said (via PlanetF1):

"I have an expectation for myself; I know what I can bring in and deliver. I know what it’s going to take to do that, and it’s just getting your head down and working away."

"I’m still learning this new car that’s quite a lot different from what I’ve driven for all of my previous career. In the sense of the Mercedes power coming into Ferrari power, it’s something quite new, different vibration, different feel, different way of working. The whole team worked completely differently. I was sitting looking at the race-trace from last year, and it’s upside down compared to the previous ones."

On the other hand, there is a high possibility that the prancing horses may have set up the car for a wet weather race on Sunday. With the qualifying session ending, parc ferme rules restrict teams from changing major elements of the vehicle.

Moreover, points are awarded on race day, so the scarlet duo might be able to bag some crucial points at the season opener.