Widely regarded as one of the best qualifiers in F1 history, Lewis Hamilton’s struggles to outperform George Russell in qualifying last season raised more than a few eyebrows. For many, it was hard to believe. A portion of the F1 community even felt that Hamilton was being sabotaged by Mercedes, given his impending move to Ferrari.
Hamilton even admitted to being surprised about Russell getting the better of him in qualifying with a 19-5 record, which further fuels those claims.
But what many failed to consider was that Hamilton may have simply been referring to his own struggles to perform at his peak. Fast forward to 2025, and those qualifying issues have persisted—with new teammate Charles Leclerc now outpacing him on Saturdays. It’s becoming increasingly clear that Hamilton may have lost the golden touch that once earned him a record 104 pole positions.
But why? Is it because the new generation of cars don’t suit Hamilton’s strengths? That’s what Toto Wolff believes. “The car and the tires sometimes don’t forgive that. It’s more noticeable in qualifying than in the race,” the Mercedes boss said in an interview earlier this year.
Hamilton, however, has attributed his troubles to a new system he is getting used to at Ferrari. He feels that once he gets used to the SF-25’s driving characteristics, he will perform better. Ted Kravitz, however, has warned Hamilton that this won’t be easy.
Lewis Hamilton reveals ‘never-used before’ system causing Ferrari struggles:
— Lewis Hamilton has revealed that Ferrari’s reliance on engine braking—a system he never used in his Mercedes years—is one of the key factors slowing his adaptation to the SF-25. The seven-time… pic.twitter.com/NO2YHOMdzg
— This is Formula 1 (@ThisIsFormu1a1) April 15, 2025
The F1 expert recently explained that, since there is limited testing time, drivers cannot practice qualifying laps. Testing is usually when teams evaluate how their car performs under different conditions and on various tire compounds, and check for any reliability concerns.
It’s typically not a time when drivers push to the limit to work on qualifying runs. So, Kravitz believes that Hamilton only has race weekends to focus on that aspect. With Hamilton’s contract at Ferrari set to expire at the end of the 2026 season, Kravitz hopes that, for the 40-year-old’s sake, he finds a solution to his problems as soon as possible.
“He (Hamilton) clearly needs to do something, doesn’t he, to work on this (qualifying) because he doesn’t want to hear that he hasn’t got it in qualifying anymore, Fred Vasseur doesn’t want to hear that he hasn’t got it in qualifying anymore, the Tifosi don’t want to hear that, Ferrari don’t want to hear that“, Kravitz explained on Sky Sports’ F1 Show podcast.
Kravitz then asked Bernie Collins, Aston Martin’s former race strategist, how a driver struggling in qualifying can work on improving. Collins believes that simply spending more time in the car will help a driver in this regard.
She explained that only by doing so can drivers understand which engine modes suit specific tire compounds and weather conditions. Once that understanding is in place, the next step is getting the tires to work within the optimal window—which varies from team to team—in order to extract maximum performance from the car.
She added that, since there are several variables that can affect qualifying performance, it’s difficult to explain to a driver what exactly needs to change. Drivers must figure it out for themselves by logging more time in the car. As for Hamilton, given his ongoing struggles, it’s fair to say that the Tifosi may need to temper their expectations.
At the start of the season, there was a sense of sky-high optimism about Hamilton bringing glory back to Maranello. While that outcome is still possible, it’s becoming clear that both Hamilton and his fans will need to be more patient.
