The seven-time champion apologized profusely on the radio, before turning up to the media pen with terse responses about his performance.

Lewis Hamilton ‘really sorry’ about ninth-place in Bahrain qualifying

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

Heading into the Bahrain Grand Prix, Ferrari were hoping for a miracle — albeit one occasioned by its updated floor. Ideally, that floor would have provided the Scuderia with the performance boost it needed to rocket further into the battle at the top of the field.

In practice, Lewis Hamilton felt comfortable with the updates, hailing them as a definite step forward even as teammate Charles Leclerc cautioned that they weren’t going to be a silver bullet that guarantees success.

But the tables turned when it came time to qualify. Both drivers did make it through to Q3, guaranteeing a top-10 start at the very least — but Hamilton simply couldn’t find any pace.

All he could do was apologize to race engineer Riccardo Adami for his effort.

“I’m really sorry, guys,” he said. “Sorry, man. Really sorry.”

Adami informed Hamilton that he had lost four tenths in the second sector, plus three tenths in the final sector. The No. 44 driver fell silent, then climbed out of his  car.

Anyone hoping for more clarity from Hamilton’s post-session interview with media, including PlanetF1.com, will be a bit disappointed; the driver was terse, keeping his cards close to his chest.

When asked to walk through the lap, Hamilton answered, “It’s pretty straightforward.”

When asked about his deleted lap at the start of Q3, he answered, “It didn’t help.”

He stated that the difference between his car and Leclerc’s had been solved, that he’s hoping for a top five, that “clearly the car is good enough” considering his teammate’s third-place starting position.

Asked if this was the lowest he’s felt since joining the team, Hamilton answered, “It’s definitely not a good feeling.”

Perhaps a top-five will be possible for him tomorrow, but Hamilton will have a steep uphill battle to climb at a track that has promised to produce some fascinating strategy.