Lewis Hamilton Unheard Radio Message Speaks Volumes After Dismal Qatar Sprint

An unheard radio message from Lewis Hamilton during qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix sprint race shows exactly how he feels about his dismal form.

On Friday afternoon, the penultimate race weekend of the 2025 Formula One season got underway at Lusail International Circuit in Qatar.

After what has been a dreadful season for seven-time champion Hamilton, the final two races offer him the chance to ensure that 2025 isn't the first season of his career without him securing at least one podium finish.

But things haven't gotten off to a great start as, ahead of the last sprint race of the season, Hamilton and the other 19 drivers on the grid competed in a qualifying session that didn't end well for the Brit.

After the session ended, Hamilton summed up exactly how he feels about his disappointing first season in red in a radio message that didn't make the official broadcast of the session.

Hamilton has had a dreadful season in 2025. (Image: Mark Sutton - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)

Since arriving at Ferrari at the beginning of the season, Hamilton's finish was P4 at the Austrian Grand Prix, the British Grand Prix, and the US Grand Prix.

Given the fact that some had tipped the 40-year-old to win the title this season, this is understandably disappointing for Hamilton, who has spoken out on several occasions in damning interviews.

And his reaction to qualifying in P18 for the Qatar sprint race is no different, as, after he prolonged silence from race engineer Riccardo Adami, he took to the team radio.

“Assume by your silence that I’m out?” Hamilton asked Adami.

“P18,” the engineer replied.

Earlier in the session, when he crossed the line with his final effort in SQ1, Hamilton complained that ‘the car won’t go any quicker’.

Despite this, teammate Charles Leclerc managed to make it into the final qualifying session and secure a ninth place start for Saturday's sprint.

Hamilton qualified in P18 for the Qatar Grand Prix sprint race. (Image: Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

After the session, Hamilton expressed further disappointment about the result and his season so far, stating that it was the ‘same as always’ asked about his lack of pace in the media pen afterwards.

When asked if the higher-downforce rear wing he fitted for the session has made any difference, he replied: “No, clearly not.”

And when asked if there was anything positive he could take into Saturday's sprint race, he sarcastically added: “The weather’s nice.”