Charles Leclerc is back on the podium, this time at the Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona, and becomes the only non-McLaren driver to get multiple podiums over the triple-header in Imola, Monaco and Spain. Ferrari finally climbs back to second place in the Constructors’ Championship, the car shows some timid signs of awakening, and the fans are not as bitter as Inter’s supporters after the thrashing in Munich.
But suddenly the “Lewis Hamilton case” explodes. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion, hired by Maranello to revive the team and provide direction for the years ahead, is turning out to be a poor copy of what President John Elkann and the other executives had expected. We are not the ones saying it, Lewis Hamilton himself did so after the Barcelona race, in which he finished sixth without ever being in contention for the podium despite starting from fourth place, succumbing to sadness in front of Sky UK’s microphones. His exact words were the following: “It was a bad day, it was terrible, I don’t know what to say, it’s probably just my fault.” In short, a surrender.
Let’s be clear: Lewis Hamilton is a good person as well as a great champion. He accepted Ferrari’s challenge not for marketing reasons, as some would like to believe, but because he was convinced he still had great cards to play, sure he could become a key player again, confident he could win. Instead, aside from the spark during the Sprint race in China, he has only encountered disappointment.
And rather than fading, this disappointment continues, dragging him into a vicious cycle from which it seems he can’t escape.
In comparison to Charles Leclerc, he has consistently lost out in terms of both speed and strategy. Occasionally, misunderstandings with the Ferrari pit wall have surfaced—even though it is staffed by top-tier professionals, starting with engineer Riccardo Adami, who manages his car. But fundamentally, Lewis Hamilton is not at ease with the SF-25 single-seater. The Briton can’t drive it the way he wants, unlike Charles Leclerc, who always manages to adapt to the Ferrari’s limitations, perhaps because he is used to compensating for years of shortcomings and suffering.
And what about Ferrari? In the first nine races of the 2025 Formula 1 championship, it has not been competitive, and the usual promises about upcoming aerodynamic upgrades that will (maybe) improve performance have resurfaced. This rhetoric does nothing to help Lewis Hamilton’s frustration, his straightforwardness, or his need for clear answers. His words convey concern and even self-doubt, because the comparison with Charles Leclerc’s lap times is relentless, raising the question of whether it is even possible for the seven-time Formula 1 world champion to compete on equal terms with his Maranello teammate.
We are less doubtful than Lewis Hamilton, perhaps because we have the benefit of distance. In our view, when Ferrari gives him a competitive car, the British driver will be able to strike back, scare his rivals, and fight where he deserves.
It may be true that the SF-25 does not suit his driving style, but it is equally true that great champions, especially those of a certain age, tend to perform only when they have a car capable of winning. Examples abound.
What matters is that Ferrari must act fast to “save Private Lewis,” because he is an investment that cannot and must not fail, even if, at the time of his move from Mercedes to Maranello, some within the team were already skeptical. Lewis Hamilton needs to recover his morale, spirit, and enthusiasm, assuming he has even managed to grasp (and we have no information on this) the Ferrari mindset, the Italian way of thinking, and the uniquely Maranello logic, which is often elusive and convoluted, especially for an Englishman.
Surrounded by attention and sometimes diverted by the fashion world, are we sure Lewis Hamilton has understood Ferrari and that Ferrari has understood him? That is the real issue. Alongside one crucial question: are we certain that the British driver, after this troubled start, is truly ready to face 2026—a season that, as of now and this applies to everyone, to be fair, offers no guarantees?
We have unlimited respect for Lewis Hamilton; few drivers match his intellectual depth and analytical skills. He must find within himself the energy to endure these difficulties. But Ferrari must also do its part technically, by abandoning the wrong choices that led to this difficult start. If they improve together, we will see the real Lewis Hamilton again. If not, Ferrari will face yet another rebuild, and Lewis Hamilton will be left with the regret of having thrown away what should have been the triumphant finale to an extraordinary career. But there is still time—before anyone, including us, draws hasty conclusions.
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