The 2024 Qatar Grand Prix represents Lewis Hamilton’s penultimate race with the Mercedes F1 team — the outfit that gave him six World Championships and launched him into the history books. Sadly, the British racer will leave the team on a much less triumphant note.

After struggling through yet another qualifying session that saw him in arrears of his younger teammate, Hamilton has admitted he doesn’t foresee an improvement in pace for his Mercedes machine.

Lewis Hamilton: “I’m slow in general”

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

Since Formula 1 introduced its newest ruleset in 2022, Mercedes have been on the back foot. The team from Brackley attempted a groundbreaking “zero-sidepod” car concept that turned them down the wrong developmental pathway.

The team tried to make the concept work for several seasons, but it was only after abandoning the idea that Mercedes began to climb back into the front of the field, where they’ve been able to secure four victories after a years-long draught.

Still, not all is perfect.

The Mercedes W15 that debuted in 2024 seems to better suit George Russell than it does Hamilton; the younger racer has been able to take victories, pole positions, and points-paying finishes with greater ease than Hamilton — and time is running out to solve the problem.

Contextualizing Lewis Hamilton’s F1 career

???? Ranked: Lewis Hamilton’s 10 best F1 victories over his staggering career (so far)

???? Lewis Hamilton: The new superstar that Formula 1 was looking for

Mercedes looked quick in qualifying ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix, but the drivers were ultimately split in the lineup. An impressive George Russell will line up alongside polesitter Max Verstappen on the front row of the grid, while Lewis Hamilton will start from sixth.

It’s not the worst starting position in the world, but it’s miles away from where he should be.

Speaking to media, including PlanetF1.com, after qualifying, Hamilton admitted that, “I’m slow in general,” pointing out that he’s been “a half-second off my teammate in the same car.”

The problem has persisted all year, Hamilton says.

Of course, that also ignores the seven-time champion’s in-race performances. In Las Vegas, for example, a simply qualifying mistake left Hamilton starting from 10th. During the race, he powered through the field to finish second to his teammate.

Speaking of his race performance, Hamilton admitted that, “I still got it. I definitely know I’ve still got it.

“But I’m looking forward to the end.”

The perplexing problem has left Lewis Hamilton without any answers. How can the team improve? How can it find him that half-second deficit he’s talking about? Hamilton doesn’t know.

Worse, he added, “It’s not possible to change it.”

At this point in the season, it’s rare to see a team introduce significant upgrades, or to attempt to tweak an ongoing problem. The developmental focus is firmly on the coming season — a season that will see Hamilton racing for a different team.

Read next: Lewis Hamilton data reveals strong trend behind qualifying errors