The honeymoon period is long over for Lewis Hamilton. He’s now facing the harsh reality of life as a Ferrari driver. When the Briton announced his move to Maranello last year, there was widespread optimism that the 40-year-old could be the missing piece the Italian team needed to finally end their title drought. However, he has had a disappointing start to the 2025 season, with little to cheer about.
Aside from his surprise sprint race victory in China and a P3 finish in the Miami GP sprint, his struggles have been apparent.
Hamilton’s best finish so far (in Grand Prix races) has been P5, which came at the season opener in Bahrain. In stark contrast, his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc has already secured three top-five finishes, including a podium in Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, Leclerc’s performances suggest that the Ferrari package isn’t as weak as Hamilton’s results might imply.
Still, if there’s anyone who can turn things around, it’s the seven-time world champion. That’s what his former rival Sebastian Vettel believes.
The ex-Ferrari driver acknowledged that Hamilton’s start to life at Maranello hasn’t been ideal. But he remains confident that Hamilton’s experience near-two decade-experience will prove crucial in helping him navigate this difficult stretch.
“I think that at the moment, the Ferrari is not as strong as he and many others might wish,” Vettel said in a recent interview. “You can’t always choose that. But as I said, I believe he has had many ups and downs.”
“I believe he has had many ups and downs. If anyone can make it, it’s him. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for him. I have raced with him for a very long time, or actually my entire time. And that’s why we are very close to each other“.
Sebastian Vettel was asked about Sir Lewis Hamilton’s start with Ferrari:
“He didn’t have the dream start, but I believe he had a very realistic approach. Even though things aren’t going well at the moment, you can see that he knows how to handle the situation with his… pic.twitter.com/OQrMfc1Xmh
— sim (@simsgazette) May 8, 2025
That said, Hamilton’s increasingly aggressive radio exchanges with Ferrari and his discontent with its strategies have been concerning.
Last weekend in Miami, Hamilton was visibly frustrated after feeling that Ferrari failed to play the team game. With Hamilton on the faster medium compound and Leclerc on the slower hards, the Briton believed a position swap would give him the best chance at attacking Kimi Antonelli for sixth place. While Ferrari eventually made the call, it came two laps too late.
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
By then, Hamilton had lost the best of his tires and was unable to mount a proper challenge. After the failed push, he gave the place back to Leclerc and voiced his frustration over team radio with engineer Riccardo Adami. When Adami informed him about the gap to Carlos Sainz behind, Hamilton shot back sarcastically: “You want me to let him pass as well?”
With Hamilton already grappling with on-track struggles, these delayed strategic decisions from Ferrari are only adding to the pressure. If the team truly hopes to contend for race wins—and potentially championships—driver and pit wall must operate as one. At the pinnacle of motorsport, success demands unity, precision, and trust.
