Former Formula 1 driver Damon Hill has joined the debate over Lewis Hamilton’s disappointing first year at Ferrari, drawing a heavy comparison with the 2021 season.
The assessment of Ferrari’s 2025 season has divided opinion and sparked widespread discussion. According to Damon Hill, the championship that has just concluded definitively confirmed the value of Charles Leclerc as a potential world champion, while for Lewis Hamilton it was a year to forget, perhaps even worse than the traumatic 2021 campaign.
Leclerc, the only bright red light of Ferrari’s season
Charles Leclerc was the only Ferrari driver able to step onto the podium during the entire 2025 season. A level of consistency that, even within a technical context that was not always competitive, allowed the Monegasque driver to stand out within the team and secure seven podium finishes.
This was also highlighted by Justin Bell, commentator and well-known motorsport figure, speaking on the Drive to Wynn podcast. “I think we have to give credit to Leclerc,” he said.
“I think Charles got to the end of the year and simply threw everything he had into the fight. When the car was quick, he looked really aggressive and determined. And at least he finished the season on a positive note. Which is important, I imagine, in Maranello.”
Damon Hill said he fully agreed with Bell’s analysis, going even further in his assessment of Charles Leclerc’s talent. “I don’t think anyone can look at what Charles has done without concluding that he is an extremely fast driver with the potential to become world champion. He just needs the right car,” he stated.
The contrast with Hamilton
Very different, according to Damon Hill, is the evaluation of Lewis Hamilton’s season. The seven-time world champion ended his first year at Ferrari without even a single podium finish, an unprecedented statistic in his career.
“I think Lewis had a better race in Abu Dhabi,” Damon Hill explained.
“He managed to score points, but it’s not a season he will look back on with any pleasure. It might even be worse than 2021 for him.”
The comparison with 2021, a year marked by a painful defeat in the world championship, is far from accidental. For the former Formula 1 driver, however, the 2025 campaign weighs even more heavily on Lewis Hamilton’s personal balance sheet. “Back then the disappointment was huge, but this season has really been a collapse.”
As the curtains close on this challenging chapter, the focus shifts to whether Maranello can provide a car worthy of its superstar lineup in 2026. While Charles Leclerc has proven he can drag a difficult car to the rostrum, the pressure is now on Ferrari to ensure that Hamilton’s “collapse” is a temporary setback rather than a permanent decline. The contrast between Charles Leclerc’s rise and Lewis Hamilton’s struggle has set a dramatic stage for the new technical regulations, where both drivers will be desperate to prove that the Prancing Horse can still reach the summit of Formula 1.
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