Lewis Hamilton’s difficult run in 2025 continued under the lights in Lusail. The Ferrari driver dropped out in SQ1 in the Sprint qualifying session, where he never looked comfortable.Hamilton has been fighting through qualifying setbacks all season, as Qatar added another one. The seven-time champion ended the evening in 18th, struggling for grip and unable to match the pace around him. The moment he stepped out of the car, his frustration showed. Speaking to reporters after Sprint qualifying, he was asked how tricky the car felt through the session.“Oh, same as always.”A follow-up question referred to Ferrari experimenting with a higher-downforce wing to stabilize the rear and help him rotate the car in the middle sector. Lewis Hamilton gave a subdued reply:“Mm-hmm. No, good luck.”When pressed for anything positive to take into Saturday’s running, he quipped:“The weather’s nice.”Max Verstappen set the early marker in SQ1, as the track was improving quickly. McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri moved straight to the top, immediately sharper than the grid. Hamilton’s problem was that he couldn’t generate enough temperature early, and Ferrari opted for early runs that left him exposed.Hamilton's Mercedes replacement, Kimi Antonelli, climbed to seventh at the last moment, pushing Lewis Hamilton into the elimination zone. Isack Hadjar and Alex Albon also improved from below him, dropping Lance Stroll and confirming the Briton’s exit.SQ2 followed a similar pattern, with both McLarens again controlling the session. SQ3 turned into a tight fight for pole, George Russell briefly taking provisional P1 before Oscar Piastri reclaimed it by 0.032s. Norris slotted into third. Verstappen could only manage sixth. Charles Leclerc, who never looked settled in FP1, made the final stage but finished ninth, 0.567s off Piastri’s 1:20.055 benchmark.Lewis Hamilton’s qualifying struggles deepen as Qatar adds another setbackLewis Hamilton of Scuderia Ferrari during Qatar Sprint Qualifying. Source: GettyLewis Hamilton's early signs in 2025 looked promising. His pole-to-flag victory in the China Sprint remains one of the year’s highlights. Miami offered another bright spot when he qualified seventh and converted it into a podium, under a VSC ending.However, the rest of the season has carried a harsher pattern for the Ferrari driver. He started 18th in Belgium, eighth at COTA, 11th in Brazil, and now 18th again in Qatar. Grand Prix qualifying has been even more difficult for the British driver. He remains winless and, more strikingly, without a Grand Prix podium for the first time in his career as the season reaches its final stretch. Hamilton's teammate, Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, has managed a steadier campaign with seven podiums, even though Ferrari’s one-lap form has been unpredictable.Hamilton is now locked in parc fermé, with changes allowed only after the Sprint on November 29 (17:00–18:00 local time) and the three-hour window before GP qualifying. He hopes that hotter conditions and a fresh approach help him reset before Sunday.