Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari have only raised their hands once. It was in the Sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix where they were able to claim victory. Since then, it has been a gray period that turned into a real nightmare in the fifth race at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Because in Jeddah, he was far, very far… not only from the lead, but also from his own teammate, Charles Leclerc, who did finish on the podium with the SF-25. Hamilton was seventh, 31 seconds behind the Monegasque driver. These are not good times for the English driver, who is finding himself overwhelmed by circumstances in a year that has become more difficult than he could have imagined.
Criticism of Hamilton is already beginning to emerge: “No way out”
The criticism, however, is already beginning to emerge, and it is dangerous. It is coming from both Ferrari fans and the Italian press, which, instead of coming to his rescue, has been harshly attacking Lewis Hamilton for the last couple of races.
La Gazzetta dello Sport, one of the newspapers most closely aligned with Ferrari, spoke of a Lewis “with no way out”: “Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari are still not getting along. They are in a dead-end tunnel.” “Lewis’s start was well below expectations,” the Italian press continued. “And patience is running out…” they argued.
Currently, after three consecutive races in Japan, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia, Lewis Hamilton is seventh in the drivers’ championship: 31 points and no podium finishes. Charles Leclerc got his first podium finish with a brilliant third place in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix this past weekend, but his performance has been much stronger and more remarkable so far than that of the seven-time world champion.
The most painful criticism comes next: “The victory in the Sprint in China remains the only highlight of a start that has fallen well short of expectations,” they say about Lewis Hamilton’s poor start to the season.
Hamilton unable to adapt to Ferrari engine
There are constant radio communications about problems from the former Mercedes driver, but at Ferrari they understand that Hamilton is still struggling to adapt to the Italian team’s engine; his 10 years at Mercedes are weighing on him, but so is Leclerc’s experience. This is how they see it in Italy, where they believed that a signing like Hamilton’s could help Ferrari close the gap on the leaders, currently Piastri and McLaren.
In addition, as we saw in the last race, Hamilton looks downhearted. He himself has acknowledged that his feelings with the car are not good and that he is adapting. But his boss, Fred Vasseur, has also asked him to make an effort to adapt to the characteristics of a car that they hope to improve from Miami onwards.
“We see that the car is fast enough to get third place here. And Charles did a fabulous job. I didn’t feel comfortable for a second,” the Englishman told British television channel Sky Sports. ‘But I really can’t blame the car. I can’t get the same speed with the same car. I don’t know what’s happening to me,’ Lewis Hamilton concluded after the race.
Leclerc squeezes the Ferrari that Hamilton can’t find: ‘I don’t know what’s happening to me’
The body language of the SF25 with the Monegasque driver showed a return to an aggressive, attacking Leclerc who squeezed every last drop out of his car, especially in clean air. Hamilton, on the other hand, seemed unable to understand where the barrage of blows came from. Sincere and humble, the Briton took responsibility.
After Japan, and despite also finishing seventh, the Briton showed signs of optimism. I really hope that in the next race we see some positive changes. During the first three races there has been a small difference between the two of us in one element of the car. When that new component arrives, hopefully the difference will disappear and it will be the same in both cars,” he said of his teammate, who finished fourth. He didn’t know what was in store for him, not even in Italy. Miami will be another opportunity, but he already knows: this is also Ferrari.