What promised to be a glittering debut season for Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari has turned out to be a disappointment so far. A sprint race victory in round two at the Chinese GP weekend gave hope for big things to come but Hamilton has simply struggled to get a hold of the SF-25 in any way so far.
Charles Leclerc has outperformed the Briton on all fronts, and has even managed to be in podium contention of late. In Jeddah two weeks ago, the Monegasque finished P3 on the same weekend Hamilton finished P7 as he struggled to overtake the Mercedes cars in front. And as a result of this, once again, Hamilton has started to sound underconfident about chances to improve.
A man with killer instinct and unwavering self-belief for most of his career, Hamilton began to experience his first spells of self-doubt during his final years at Mercedes. That was when he found it impossible to get comfortable with the Silver Arrows’ cars.
Now at Ferrari, he’s going through the same problems. The 40-year-old has complained about the car several times over the last few weeks, and has also joked about getting a “brain transplant” to perform better, since the car concept is so “alien” to him.
Amidst this, Liz Loza has asked him to focus more on improving himself, and less on whining.
“I would like him to stop whining,” the ESPN presenter said.
It was a bold remark, and it took those present in the segment with Loza slightly aback. Fellow presenter Nicole Briscoe even asked her what it was about Hamilton that she found ‘whiny’ in particular, to which she replied:
“It’s so defeatist. I understand he’s iconic and he’s my favorite driver. But we heard this last season, and there was so much ‘I can’t wait until I’m in red.’ Well now you are.”
Lewis Hamilton was asked what he needs to get to grips with this Ferrari pic.twitter.com/jYYQaBPO0X
— Autosport (@autosport) April 20, 2025
Loza was referring to Hamilton’s final months at Mercedes, during which reports surfaced that he was feeling doubtful over the team’s chances of success and constantly thought about moving to Ferrari. While he never admitted it openly, there was a prevailing belief in the F1 paddock that he would have a better chance at glory with the Italian outfit.
Ferrari had finished just 14 points behind McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship in 2024 and were expected to field a competitive, winning car once again.
Sadly, that hasn’t been the case. Yes, Leclerc has been better than Hamilton but the SF-25 as a whole, has been underwhelming.
Loza praised Hamilton for being transparent about his feelings, and acknowledged the pressure he has been under. But that shouldn’t give him a free pass to complain all the time, she feels.
“I do find it a bit complainy, a bit whiny,” she added.
Loza’s solution? She wants Hamilton to be a bit more optimistic. He’s one of the greatest drivers of all time, and by just having self-belief and being patient, he can turn the situation around at Maranello. “You can address issues with, also, not having your shoulders slumped down.”
