Portugal Colonial - Despondent Hamilton and Ferrari crash back to earth

Seven-time world champion Hamilton, who on Saturday said he was "completely useless" to the team and ready to be replaced, wound up 12th while Leclerc dropped from race leader to a grumbling fourth.

Hamilton, backed beforehand by team boss Fred Vasseur, was in a bleak mood suggesting that he remained trapped by a crisis of confidence that has turned his spectacular marquee signing for Ferrari into a nightmare.

"When you have a feeling, you have a feeling," he said enigmatically, responding to a question about his comment suggesting that he was no longer good enough for Ferrari and should be replaced.

He added: "There’s a lot going on in the background that isn't great."

Asked if he still loved racing, he replied to say he did, but with little conviction.

Leclerc appeared to be little happier after he had failed to convert pole into victory for the 15th time in 16 attempts during the last three years.

His one success came in last year’s Monaco Grand Prix, his home event.

"We lost a podium, so I am very disappointed," said Leclerc, having warned the team during the race that they had bungled his car’s set-up in some unspecified way.

"But I spoke too quickly because being out of the car, I had a bit more detail about what went on," he added later.

"I thought it was about something else that we had discussed, but unfortunately it was on the chassis.

"There was an issue on that side and we will look into it for it not to happen again. It doesn't really make me feel any better because when you're fighting for a win, and then you have these kind of issues, it never happens.

"We need to look into it to make sure it never happens again because the car was just undriveable.

"It was around lap 40 because as soon as I started to struggle and to complain, it was basically when we started to have the issue and it got worse and worse.

"It's very frustrating to have everything under control, to know that the pace is in the car to win, and then you end up being nowhere. We lost a podium.”

Hamilton, 40, winner of a record eight Hungarian Grands Prix and a record nine poles at the circuit, finished where he started and with his worst result at the circuit, inevitably sparking talk of his possible retirement.

But as he headed off towards a summer break, he could look at the joy in the Aston Martin garage where, despite a back muscle injury, his one-time McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso had finished a season’s best fifth, aged 44.

V.F.Barreira--PC