Lewis Hamilton’s new Formula 1 adventure with Ferrari has not begun under the banner of immediate success or spectacular results, at least not yet. Many fans and experts of the sport were expecting a stronger start for the seven-time Formula 1 world champion, but the Italian Grand Prix at Monza confirmed what has already been evident for several months: Lewis Hamilton continues to struggle with the SF-25, a car that has not allowed him to fully express his immense driving talent. The British driver has openly explained why this Ferrari remains so difficult to manage and to extract maximum performance from. Despite this challenging beginning, the former Mercedes driver continues to place great trust in the ambitious project for the 2026 Formula 1 season, when the new technical regulations will come into play, but he is also demanding a clear and decisive change of direction in terms of drivability and natural feeling with the next Ferrari car.
The issue of finding the right feeling with the SF-25
Lewis Hamilton’s move from Mercedes to Maranello was one of the most significant and widely discussed events in recent Formula 1 history. After more than a decade with the Mercedes team, where he collected six of his seven world championship titles, his move to Ferrari was considered almost unimaginable until the moment it became official. His arrival at the famous headquarters of the Maranello team, instantly generated enormous excitement, not only among Ferrari fans around the world but also across the entire sporting landscape. It was seen as a historic moment: Lewis Hamilton, one of the most successful drivers in Formula 1 history, finally driving for the most iconic team in the sport. Expectations, naturally, were enormous. However, the actual results achieved on track so far have not lived up to those lofty predictions.
To be fair, much of the responsibility cannot be placed directly on Lewis Hamilton’s shoulders. A considerable part of the problems are linked to the limitations of the SF-25 itself, a car that has not consistently delivered what was promised during pre-season. The development work carried out by the team has often been insufficient, leaving both drivers—Lewis Hamilton and his teammate Charles Leclerc—struggling with similar issues, though the Monegasque has been able to mask them better with stronger performances.
In the current world championship standings, the Briton already finds himself 46 points behind Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque driver has managed to bring home five podium finishes this year, showing greater adaptability to the car’s specific demands. In stark contrast, Lewis Hamilton has not yet stood on the podium in a Sunday Grand Prix. His only real moment of joy came earlier in the season with victory in the Sprint Race at Shanghai, a shorter format event that does not award as many points as the main races. These numbers clearly describe how difficult the adaptation process has been for the seven-time world champion, who continues to find Ferrari’s latest car complicated to interpret and demanding to drive at the limit.
When asked about the difficulty of finding the right feeling with the car, Lewis Hamilton explained that throughout his long career, nothing has ever been immediate or effortless. There have always been challenging moments, even more complex than what he is now experiencing with the Prancing Horse. For example, during certain seasons at Mercedes, he also faced periods when the car did not perfectly suit his natural driving instincts, but he was able to overcome those phases with hard work and adaptation. Lewis Hamilton has never been a driver who accepts complacency or settles for mediocrity. Even in years of great technical continuity, when his cars were dominant, he always sought new ways to push himself, to question his approach, and to improve further.
According to the seven-time Formula 1 world champion, joining Ferrari is part of this personal philosophy of embracing challenges. He firmly believes in the long-term project at Maranello and in what the team can achieve by working together with determination and focus. However, he openly admits that the journey so far has been far from easy, filled with obstacles, setbacks, and phases of adaptation that have not gone as smoothly as hoped. For precisely this reason, Lewis Hamilton insists on welcoming the challenges he is facing and says he looks ahead with confidence to better days, never doubting for a moment the choice he made to leave Mercedes and sign with Ferrari.
A driving style that does not feel natural: why everything must change in 2026
The central element of Lewis Hamilton’s current difficulties is related to driving style and the lack of natural feeling with the SF-25. The driver of Caribbean descent emphasized that during his many years at Mercedes he was an integral part of a gradual and methodical development process. At Brackley, he knew the cars “inside and out,” with every new machine built step by step on a familiar foundation, allowing him to feel at one with the car in almost every situation. That sense of instinctive connection was a major part of his success with Mercedes.
With the SF-25, however, the situation is completely different. The Ferrari requires a driving approach that Lewis Hamilton does not consider instinctive. He feels forced to adapt his style in ways that do not align with his natural strengths as a driver. He even described this adjustment as “unnatural,” a strong word that highlights just how much he struggles to make the car work for him.
During a typical race weekend, Lewis Hamilton explains, the situation does improve gradually and progressively. Lap after lap, his confidence grows, the pace becomes sharper, and the overall performance increases as he spends more time behind the wheel. However, the early phases of each weekend remain problematic. From the opening practice sessions on Friday, he finds it hard to immediately exploit the car’s potential, which then prevents him from building a solid foundation for the rest of the weekend. This delay in adaptation has too often compromised his performances, making it difficult to fight at the front consistently.
Lewis Hamilton does not shy away from these issues and speaks with clarity. His target for the 2026 Formula 1 season is to once again feel as if he is driving a “familiar single-seater,” one that allows him to bring out the very best of his qualities without the constant sensation of forcing himself into a driving style that does not belong to him. The upcoming season, which will see the introduction of new technical regulations across Formula 1, represents a genuine opportunity for Lewis Hamilton to reset and restart from a stronger and more solid base. The hope is that Ferrari will design a car that aligns more closely with his instincts, giving him the natural connection he has enjoyed in the past.
The seven-time world champion makes it clear that his hope is simple but crucial: he does not lack faith in the project, but he is fully aware that the road ahead remains long and demanding. Lewis Hamilton accepts the price of this transition period. Despite the frustrations and difficulties, he remains determined to redefine his competitive relationship with Ferrari. For the British driver, the 2026 Ferrari must be a car that feels natural to him, restoring the possibility to showcase his best qualities behind the wheel through a driving style that matches his DNA as a racer.
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