Lewis Hamilton Endures Worst F1 Season Start as Ferrari Raises Concerns Over Crucial Upgrades
Lewis Hamilton is enduring the most difficult start to a Formula 1 season in his 19-year career, having failed to secure a single podium finish in his first 10 races as a Ferrari driver. Not once since his F1 debut with McLaren in 2007 has the seven-time world champion gone this long without a top-three result.
The only other seasons to come close were 2009, also with McLaren, and 2024 with Mercedes—both years in which Hamilton managed at least one podium within the first 10 races. Now, in 2025 with Ferrari, his best result has been a fourth-place finish at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola. After 10 rounds, Hamilton has scored just 79 points, placing him sixth in the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship. In contrast, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri currently leads the standings with 198 points.
Ferrari’s hopes of giving the Briton a more competitive car lie in a planned rear suspension upgrade, one the British driver is eagerly awaiting. The new component is designed to improve the SF-25’s stability at the rear—a problem area that has hindered Hamilton’s confidence behind the wheel. Ferrari aims to introduce the upgrade at the Austrian Grand Prix (June 27–29), in hopes of making the car more predictable and easier to drive.
However, doubts are emerging inside Maranello. According to the Motorsport website, the Scuderia is increasingly skeptical that their upcoming rear suspension and floor upgrades will resolve their persistent tyre management issues. Ferrari engineers are concerned the improvements may still fall short of unlocking the optimal operating window of the Pirelli tyres—a crucial performance factor across a Grand Prix weekend.
The SF-25 continues to be run at a higher ride height than desired, following Ferrari’s historic double disqualification at the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix. Excessive rear plank wear led to both cars being excluded from the results, highlighting ongoing problems with car setup and ground clearance.
Although the Maranello team had initially pinned high hopes on the suspension and floor changes, internal confidence in their effectiveness has started to fade. The team now questions whether these updates will truly elevate performance enough to fight for race wins—a major concern as rivals Red Bull, McLaren, and now Mercedes, courtesy of George Russell’s recent win in Canada, have all stood on the top step this season.
In Montreal, George Russell converted pole position into victory, while Charles Leclerc recovered from P8 to finish fifth, and Lewis Hamilton followed in sixth. Frustrated by a lack of outright pace and qualifying struggles, Charles Leclerc even urged Ferrari to pursue a one-stop strategy in an effort to salvage a better result.
For Ferrari to challenge more consistently at the front, their development path needs to deliver both in qualifying and over race distance. Neither Lewis Hamilton nor Charles Leclerc has taken pole position so far in the 2025 Formula 1 campaign, a statistic that speaks volumes about the team’s Saturday weaknesses.
Despite the intense focus on technical updates, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has emphasized that better race execution is just as crucial as car upgrades. The Frenchman believes that without cleaner weekends—free from strategic missteps or reliability issues—the Scuderia will struggle to convert potential into podiums, no matter how promising their updates may seem on paper.
As Ferrari continues its search for pace and consistency, both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc remain without a victory in 2025. With rivals pulling ahead and internal doubts growing, the pressure is mounting for Ferrari to turn their development gamble into meaningful on-track results.
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