Hamilton continues his process of adapting to Ferrari and to Ferrari. But it is taking too long, he is not comfortable. The seven-time champion is sixth in the World Championship (71 points) behind Leclerc in fifth (94). He barely stood out in the Chinese Sprint with a victory…
Hamilton shrinks at Ferrari: “It’s the worst race I’ve ever had”
But now it seems more like an isolated incident than a great start to the season on his part. Sir Lewis is still not comfortable behind the wheel of the SF-25 and his comments suggest that something is missing in the garage. The serious thing about all this is that it has happened in every Grand Prix held so far in 2025. Especially since that weekend in China, where he also finished sixth in the long race on Sunday, behind his Monegasque teammate.
And it happened again in Spain. In Barcelona, the seven-time champion achieved his best result in qualifying. A fifth place that allowed Hamilton to dream of fighting for a podium position at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. But nothing could be further from the truth.
The Safety Car, which appeared a few laps from the end, ended Lewis’ chances of a good result, which was left to his rivals because he did not change tires. In fact, Nico Hulkenberg, in his modest Sauber, snatched sixth place from the Briton on the track a few laps from the end.
That move, added to what had happened earlier, provoked Hamilton’s anger after the race: “It’s the worst race I’ve ever had.” The new boy in red was clear after a Grand Prix to forget. Charles Leclerc, on the other hand, did manage a good result, finishing on the podium after overtaking Verstappen in the final laps.
Dejected, annoyed, angry, without answers…
As he spoke to the press at Montmeló, he looked dejected, annoyed, and angry. “I want to go home,” he replied without giving much explanation. It can therefore be said that the Englishman’s 2025 season at Ferrari has not been what anyone had hoped for. The reality is falling far short of expectations.
The global icon of F1; the driver with the most victories in F1; the holder of the most records in history; the driver who has equaled the driver with the most titles; the driver who always resorted to his motivational “Never Give Up” mantra at Mercedes when things weren’t going his way… is nowhere to be found. And the truth is, of course, that his Ferrari isn’t helping.
Leclerc already said it in Miami: “The car has significant problems that won’t be solved overnight.” The current SF-25 suffers from a lack of downforce at any speed. Charles Leclerc has mentioned this repeatedly, emphasizing that the wing, which is not optimized for low speeds, makes it less competitive on the more technical sections compared to other cars. But while one is getting the most out of what he has, the other doesn’t know where to find what’s missing.
Leclerc is ‘sweeping’ Hamilton
The internal battle at Maranello, however, is not as close in terms of speed as it is at McLaren. Except for the mirage of the aforementioned victory in the Shanghai Sprint, Charles Leclerc is sweeping Lewis Hamilton. The Briton shows flashes of his class, but he is a long way from the best version of Lewis. On the contrary, Leclerc’s extraordinary races in Saudi Arabia and his second place in Monaco showed us that the Monegasque driver may be in the best form of his career.
And once again, the answers must be sought at the mental level. “In sport, there is a paradox: the less emotionally involved you are in the final result, the more effective you are in achieving it,” explain those close to him. Indeed, it seems that Leclerc is at his best when he is not under pressure to win or win titles, but simply to do his best. Hamilton is not in a position to think about victories right now, but he is trying to beat or at least match his teammate.
That anxiety is very likely what is keeping him from his goal rather than bringing him closer to it. It is clear that Hamilton is not well. His body language and the way he expresses himself show it: “I need a brain transplant to drive this car. I thought that the things I saw in Bahrain would help, but I see that they haven’t. I’m a long way off. I need to go back to the drawing board (start from scratch).”
Never in Lewis Hamilton’s nearly two decades in Formula 1 has he looked so downcast. And it’s not a problem of motivation, which has always been his Achilles’ heel, but rather of being lost.
Currently, ‘44’ is the second most experienced driver on the grid after Fernando Alonso. You can expect a confused speech from a rookie driver, and you can also expect a veteran like Carlos Sainz to take two or three races to find the trick to a car. It’s much more disconcerting that, after nine races, things aren’t getting any better, but rather that the gap between Leclerc and Hamilton is widening.
Russell already outperformed him significantly in 2024.
In reality, what is worrying about Hamilton is his overall performance and adaptation. As is normal, every driver needs a learning process when changing teams, but more is expected from the most successful driver in Formula 1 history.
What is he missing? “It’s a lot of different things, not one in particular. When I arrived at Mercedes, the first six months were tough getting used to working with new people. The engineers I work with are used to setting up the car for a different driver with a different driving style, and I’m used to driving a different car with a different style, so it’s a combination.” There are not so many similarities between the styles of Sainz, who was there for four seasons, and Hamilton himself.
“The Hamilton-Ferrari deal has been presented as a masterstroke in terms of marketing. The champion has undoubtedly attracted new sponsors, increasing the value of the Ferrari brand. However, if the results don’t come, these commercial advantages could quickly turn into a boomerang,” warns La Gazzetta dello Sport, Italy’s leading sports newspaper, if the situation continues as it is.
The data does not bode well for the future. In 2024, with George Russell as his teammate at Mercedes, Hamilton was notably outclassed. In addition to the 22 points the young Briton took from him in the championship, the difference in the standings was overwhelming. Russell handed him an alarming 24-6, also adding the sprint qualifiers. All in all, and based on what we have seen this season, it seems clear that the only thing that can change the winner of 104 Grand Prix races is his own mind. Pride in being among the best is a very powerful driving force, just ask Fernando Alonso.