Things are simply not clicking together for Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari. A move that was supposed to be a match made in heaven has started off as a nightmare, with discontent between both parties appearing to grow by the week. But according to Guenther Steiner, Hamilton knew exactly what he had signed up for.
In Miami, Hamilton was more frustrated than ever. Less for the SF 25’s performance — which was underwhelming in its own right — and more because of the confusing radio messages and delayed strategy calls. His race engineer Riccardo Adami once again faced the brunt of it.
Hamilton wanted to swap positions with Charles Leclerc, feeling he was faster, which he was. But Ferrari appeared hesitant, and took time to give the order to Leclerc, which made Hamilton livid. “This is not good teamwork, that’s all I’m going to say,” he said on the team radio at one point.
This has been the story of the season so far for Hamilton. He’s not happy with Adami, the strategists, or even the car’s pace. So is he regretting leaving Mercedes to join the Maranello-based outfit?
“I mean, he knew what he was doing,” Steiner said on the Red Flags podcast, before revealing that Hamilton must have thought of the larger picture before making the decision.
“For him, it was more like a mission in life to end his career as a driver at Ferrari. It’s a dream of a lot of guys. Maybe he hoped to be better off, but he has got time to make up. I don’t think he’s regretting it,” the former Haas team principal added.
It’s only been six races for Hamilton at Ferrari, and they’ve been far from pleasant. Aside from a Sprint win in China and a third-place finish in the Miami Sprint, there hasn’t been much to write home about. In Miami, for instance, a strategic blunder — which seemed to frustrate Hamilton more than anything else in his career — left him with nothing more than an P8 finish.
Lewis Hamilton’s radio messages already deserve their own Netflix series. Drama, sarcasm, and tea breaks included. #F1 #Ferrari #Netflix #TeamLH pic.twitter.com/yHlgCmP8JW
— CHEQUERED FLAG (@cfmagindia) May 5, 2025
That said, Steiner isn’t wrong. Hamilton still has time.
Yes, the seven-time world champion is 40 and doesn’t have many years left to chase his eighth title. But Ferrari — however unlikely it may seem — could still introduce development packages that propel them to the front of the grid.
Plus, there’s the 2026 season on the horizon, which will bring a complete regulation reset, giving all 10 teams, including Ferrari, a clean slate. Then, Hamilton can complete his ‘dream’ of being successful with Ferrari.
If the Scuderia fails to deliver even then, questions of regret may carry more weight, especially with Hamilton’s former team, Mercedes, seemingly on the rise again. A strong start to this season has seen Mercedes climb to P2 in the Constructors’ standings, 105 points behind leaders McLaren.
George Russell is also enjoying a standout campaign, securing four podiums in six races. And if reports are to be believed, Mercedes could be among the frontrunners in 2026 as well.
