Lewis Hamilton casts doubt over first F1 podium for Ferrari: ‘We don’t have the pace’

The Ferrari driver is yet to record a podium this year after 16 races and finished the Italian GP in sixth

Lewis Hamilton admits he “does not think” Ferrari have the pace to compete for a podium in the remaining eight races of the season.

Hamilton, having started 10th due to a five-place grid penalty, finished Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix in sixth and acknowledged it was a “solid drive” at his first Monza race as a Scuderia driver.

However, it means the 40-year-old is still without a top-three finish after 16 rounds this season. His best result in a grand prix has been fourth, with a sprint race victory in China back in March.

There are eight rounds left this year but Hamilton, particularly after Red Bull’s Max Verstappen claimed a dominant victory, was pessimistic when asked about his chances over the remaining three months.

When asked about being competitive over the season’s remainder, Hamilton told Sky Sports F1: “I don't think so, Charles [Leclerc, finished fourth] was giving it everything, Max is up there now.

“We don't have the pace of Red Bull, today they were rapid, or McLaren, and currently we're fourth.

“A podium here or there? There's a chance to have that at some point. But in terms of pure pace, we don't have that.”

Lewis Hamilton has not finished on the podium in his first 16 races for Ferrari (Getty Images)

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur insisted Hamilton had a “very good race” after making up places at the start and finishing just behind old Mercedes teammate George Russell.

“Starting from the middle of the pack because of the penalty, Lewis had a very strong first stint and towards the end we tried to give him a tyre advantage to get ahead of Russell, but the degradation was too low,” Vasseur said.

“He had a very good race and I am very pleased for him. We are sorry we could not deliver a better result for our tifosi, who have been amazing all week long.”

Hamilton’s next chance to finish on the podium comes at the next round in Baku, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, on 19-21 September.