Lewis Hamilton has endured a tough first season at Ferrari, with the F1 icon yet to finish in a podium place

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Frederic Vasseur and Lewis Hamilton have different opinions on how Ferrari’s season has unfolded(Image: Sam Bagnall/Sutton Images)

The Formula One season is set to continue with the Qatar Grand Prix this weekend, following a thrilling race in Las Vegas last week. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen emerged victorious, closing the gap on Lando Norris in the Drivers’ Championship standings.

Despite his team-mate Oscar Piastri and Verstappen trailing him by 24 points, McLaren’s Norris saw his lead threatened after both McLaren drivers were disqualified in the USA. With Verstappen having won last year’s Qatar GP, he’ll be looking to replicate his success as the title race intensifies ahead of the second-to-last race of the season.

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton will hope to change his fortunes this weekend as he waits for his first podium place with Ferrari. Mirror Sport looks at some of the key stories surrounding F1.

Lewis Hamilton disagreement

Lewis Hamilton has endured a disappointing debut season with Ferrari. He qualified in last position for the Las Vegas GP before fighting back to eighth and recently branded it “the worst season ever”.

However, team boss Frederic Vasseur disagreed with his driver’s assessment and provided an alternative view. “It’s difficult, but if you have a look at the last couple of races it’s a matter of penalty as he was able to be on the podium,” Vasseur said.

“I don’t think that we have to change completely. It’s more a matter of putting everything together. We are struggling to have a clean weekend.

“It’s not only pure performance. For sure we have to improve on performance, this is clear, but it’s more about the way you build up the weekend and how you manage expectations and track operations.”

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Hamilton discussed his disappointing season during the Las Vegas GP(Image: Peter Fox/Getty Images)

Max Verstappen’s dad makes Lando Norris claim

Jos Verstappen has suggested that McLaren will start feeling the heat as the season draws to a close. He pointed out that his son Max cannot clinch the title if Norris finishes second in the remaining races. However, Verstappen Snr also thinks McLaren are making an error that could prove costly.

“The pressure at McLaren is now on and they will feel it,” he said. “It is still the case that if Max wins the remaining races and Norris finishes second every time, Norris will become world champion.

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Lando Norris was disqualified at the recent Las Vegas GP(Image: Bryn Lennon – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)

“But Oscar Piastri is also still there and he won’t be very happy at the moment either. You can see a clear difference between the two McLarens on the track.

“This is a big mistake by McLaren, a huge blunder, yes. Because why would you really sit on the limit like that? Maybe it was really a mistake, but maybe the car just doesn’t work as well and they have to do this.”