Lewis Hamilton’s Struggles at Ferrari Proceed After Disappointing Spanish Grand Prix Efficiency
Lewis Hamilton’s difficulties with Ferrari present no indicators of easing, with every Components 1 weekend bringing contemporary issues about his tempo and competitiveness. The seven-time world champion endured one other robust outing at the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix, additional highlighting the uphill battle he faces in his new surroundings at Scuderia Ferrari.
Regardless of qualifying forward of teammate Charles Leclerc on Saturday, Lewis Hamilton may solely handle a seventh-place end on Sunday, trailing even the Sauber of Nico Hülkenberg. Charles Leclerc, in contrast, managed to carry his Ferrari house in third place, securing one other podium for the Italian staff regardless of a much less favorable beginning place. The distinction of their outcomes solely served to additional underscore Hamilton’s ongoing adaptation struggles with the SF-25 chassis.
From a championship perspective, the consequence had minimal impression for the previous Mercedes man. He stays sixth within the drivers’ standings, 23 factors behind Leclerc and an equal margin forward of Mercedes protégé Kimi Antonelli. With 15 races remaining within the 2025 Components 1 season, there may be nonetheless time for a turnaround, however many within the paddock consider Ferrari—and Lewis Hamilton—could quickly start to shift focus towards the key regulatory overhaul coming in 2026.
One notably demoralizing component for Lewis Hamilton got here within the ultimate stint of the Spanish Grand Prix. Leclerc seemed to be coping with a beforehand unencountered situation associated to the Ferrari’s steadiness and tyre put on, one thing Hamilton had flagged earlier within the season. The Monaco native was heard over staff radio making feedback about his setup compromise, which echoed Hamilton’s personal long-standing complaints. The Briton had beforehand urged he intentionally compromised qualifying efficiency on Saturdays to extract higher race tempo on Sundays—an strategy that seemingly yielded little reward in Spain.
Including to Lewis Hamilton’s frustration was Ferrari’s resolution to order him to let Charles Leclerc by throughout the race, a strategic transfer that enabled the Monegasque to chase the rostrum. In line with paddock insiders, the Briton felt this positioned him in a “horrible” scenario, one which didn’t replicate the goals he had when he first joined Ferrari. The transition from Mercedes, the place he loved years of dominance, has confirmed far tougher than anticipated.
Hypothesis about Lewis Hamilton’s long-term dedication to Ferrari intensified following his post-race feedback. When requested about his subsequent transfer, the Brit reportedly acknowledged that he merely needed to “go house,” a comment that some interpreted as an indication of psychological and emotional exhaustion. At almost 40 years previous, Hamilton could also be questioning whether or not he has the power and time to rebuild Ferrari’s fortunes—or whether or not the mountain he’s trying to climb is just too steep.
Motorsport veteran Juan Pablo Montoya just lately weighed in on the scenario, suggesting that Hamilton should demand vital structural adjustments inside Ferrari if he needs to see speedy enhancements. Nevertheless, such adjustments—notably swapping race engineers once more—might be destabilizing. The previous Components 1 driver hinted that specializing in the technical bundle itself may be a extra sensible answer for the rest of the season.
Lewis Hamilton’s transfer from Mercedes to Ferrari was some of the high-profile transfers in current F1 historical past, however the resolution is more and more being scrutinized. His insecurity within the Ferrari automotive has grow to be extra obvious with every passing race. He has brazenly acknowledged that the Spanish Grand Prix was his worst efficiency of the yr up to now and admitted he couldn’t clarify the poor steadiness and chronic rear-end instability that plagued his race. In line with SPEEDWEEK, the seven-time Components 1 world champion described the steadiness because the worst he had skilled in 2025.
The scenario appears to be weighing closely on each Ferrari drivers. Whereas Lewis Hamilton’s struggles have been extra seen, Charles Leclerc too appeared unusually withdrawn after the race. Experiences from Spanish media indicated that each drivers have been tough to interview, suggesting that morale inside the staff is below severe strain.
With Ferrari’s winter gamble on a brand new automotive idea now showing to have backfired, the staff should regroup and develop a transparent technique for restoration. Their greatest hope lies in collaboration—between drivers, engineers, and management—to salvage the rest of 2025 and make sure that the Scuderia enters the 2026 Components 1 season with a much more aggressive platform.
Whether or not Lewis Hamilton finally regrets leaving Mercedes for Ferrari stays to be seen. However as issues stand, the transition has not introduced the success he envisioned, and except main adjustments are made quickly, his dream of an eighth world title may stay simply out of attain.
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