Lewis Hamilton gives Ferrari cause for concern with blunt confession at Qatar Grand Prix

The result stood in sharp contrast to his Mercedes teammate George Russell's impressive performance, with the younger Briton securing second place behind McLaren's Lando Norris.

Hamilton's candid self-assessment came after another qualifying session where he struggled to match his teammate's pace, continuing a concerning trend for the 39-year-old veteran.

Speaking after the session, Hamilton offered a brutally honest assessment of his performance.

"Same as every other qualifying, not that great," the Mercedes driver said.

"I'm just slow. Same every weekend. Car felt relatively decent. You know, no issues. Not really much more to say," he added.

The frank admission from the veteran driver was particularly telling, as he made no attempt to blame external factors for his performance.

When questioned whether his recent showings could be attributed to the car, Hamilton was equally direct: "Who knows? I'm definitely not fast anymore."

The qualifying battle between Hamilton and Russell has become increasingly one-sided this season.

Friday's result in Qatar further widened the gap between the Mercedes teammates, with Russell now leading their head-to-head qualifying battle 22-6.

The pattern of Russell outpacing his more experienced teammate has become a recurring theme throughout the season, marking one of the most challenging qualifying periods in Hamilton's illustrious career.

And his worrying admission might well cause concern for Ferrari next year with the iconic Italian team hoping he can compete with Charles Leclerc.

Hamilton reflected on how his grid position severely limits his chances in the race.

"When you're always back where I am, it makes it very hard to be competing – well, almost impossible, pretty much – to be competing for wins from there," he explained.

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Despite his personal struggles, Hamilton acknowledged the strong potential of the Mercedes car.

"The positive is the car is fast and George should be able to shoot for pole [in Sunday's race] tomorrow," he noted.

The comments highlight Hamilton's pragmatic acceptance of his current form while recognising his teammate's ability to extract maximum performance from the same machinery.