Lewis Hamilton apologizes to Ferrari as he gets dominated by Charles Leclerc at the F1 Saudi Arabian GP

Lewis Hamilton started the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in seventh and hoped to make his way up the grid as the Ferrari seemed to be a podium contender. While his teammate Charles Leclerc was able to take the SF-25 up the podium, the Briton finished the race in a lonely P7, and issued an apology to the Scuderia over the radio after the checkered flag fell.

The seven-time champion's start to his Ferrari venture has not been as smooth sailing as he would have hoped for. Hamilton finished 10th at the season opener and scored a measly point.

While he secured his first win in the elusive red in any format in China, this happiness soon turned to sorrow after he was disqualified at the Grand Prix in China. With a mediocre outing in Japan and Bahrain, Lewis Hamilton aimed to get back into a rhythm and start fighting for the top positions.

However, the trend of mediocre race results has continued into the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. While Charles Leclerc qualified P4 for the race and moved up to the podium at the end of the 50 laps, Hamilton stayed put and brought home a P7 finish for the prancing horse.

Dejected with his performance, Hamilton shared an apologetic message over the team radio, and said (via @fiagirly on X):

"Well done to Charles. I’m sorry I didn’t have the pace today."

Hamilton's Ferrari chapter has been a rollercoaster of a ride on which the Briton has commented a myriad of times.

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What's holding back Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari?

Lewis Hamilton at the F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia - Source: Getty

Moving to Ferrari after spending a dozen years with them is a tough task; it takes some time to get adept at the new world that Lewis Hamilton lives in. Moreover, the 40-year-old has been fairly expressive about his issues with the SF-25 and how he is planning to tackle them.

Hamilton revealed how he is not gelling with the car at the Scuderia currently and will take some time to adapt his driving style to the one that the car needs, as he said (via The Race):

"Well, I was feeling positive, obviously, after the last race and hoping that I could apply some of those things, but it's not worked. Back to the drawing board and keep working... [It's] just me. Just not gelling with the car at the moment."

"If you look at my driving style, particularly back in 2020, 2021 and before, it worked well with that genre of car. This driving style, maybe the others already have it and I know Charles has had it since he's been here for some years, is just new. It's like, naturally, when the pressure comes, builds up, and you need to really pull out that extra bit of time, you can easily fall into your old ways."

On the other hand, Saudi Arabia marks Hamilton's seventh Grand Prix that he has not finished on the podium, a stat that he would want to change soon.