Lewis Hamilton wasn't being honest in his "I'm useless" rant, claims F1 expert

F1 pundit Christian Danner has claimed that Lewis Hamilton was not being honest when he was critical of himself post the Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying. The 7x world champion labeled himself as "useless" after qualifying in P12 for the race.

Hamilton was extremely downbeat after his qualifying performance at the recently concluded Hungarian GP, during which he was knocked out in Q2, and started the race in P12. He also failed to make any progress during the race and finished in the same spot he had started in.

Hamilton's comments during the race weekend, in which he labeled himself "useless" and urged Ferrari to hire a new driver, caught people's attention. However, former race car driver and F1 pundit Danner did not believe that Hamilton's words were meant seriously.

Speaking on Motorsport-Magazin.com’s AvD Motorsport Talk, Danner explained his view that Hamilton's comments were exaggerated and the driver was not being "honest" about his views of himself.

"A Lewis Hamilton who punishes himself so much, pretends to have forgotten how to drive,that almost looked a little exaggerated to me. It was like staging a little more than it actually is to sensitize the world, which knows I’m not that bad," said Danner, via GPBlog.

"I’m pretty sure that was wanted by Hamilton and he wasn’t honest. He didn’t honestly doubt himself. It can’t be, it doesn’t fit in with him," he added.

Hamilton has been struggling ever since he made a switch over to Ferrari in 2025. The veteran has been knocked out before Q3 in qualifying in two consecutive race weekends. Hamilton has also been outperformed by his teammate Charles Leclerc, who ended the Belgian GP on the podium before securing pole at Hungary.

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Christian Danner claims morale is low at Ferrari amid Lewis Hamilton's slump in form

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at the Belgian Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Christian Danner has claimed that the mood at Ferrari was quite low amid Lewis Hamilton's struggles and an overall lack of performance. Hamilton had also hinted that all was not right at Maranello behind the scenes post the Hungarian GP.

Speaking to the aforementioned outlet, the German pundit has a rather damning outlook about the mood at Ferrari.

"There is no good mood, no good atmosphere and no good prospects for the future [at Ferrari]," claimed Danner.

Danner also added that he did not expect Hamilton to call it quits on his time at Ferrari any time soon.

The legendary team's future will be determined by the development of their own power unit for the new regulations from 2026 onwards. While Mercedes is expected to be the quickest, Ferrari may not be too far behind, according to numerous reports.

If the Scuderia is able to compete at the top of the field from next year onwards, a lift in the mood will be certain for the team that has not won a world championship title since 2008.