After the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Matteo Bobbi spoke openly about Lewis Hamilton’s difficulties in adapting to Ferrari and the reasons why the British driver is still unable to make real progress with the team. Throughout the season we have repeatedly seen how every race weekend seems to offer hope for Lewis Hamilton, yet the seven-time world champion ends up facing another setback. During the latest episode of Race Anatomy, Bobbi analyzed the challenges Lewis Hamilton is dealing with at Ferrari and the substantial differences compared to his years at Mercedes.
In the final practice session before qualifying at Las Vegas, Lewis Hamilton looked genuinely competitive and ready to fight for something important. However, the rain that hit the Nevada circuit completely changed the situation. We already know about Ferrari’s difficulties in those conditions, and on top of that the British driver made a costly misjudgment that compromised his entire weekend. Despite managing a solid recovery in the early laps, Lewis Hamilton eventually ran into more issues and finished tenth on track — a result later converted to eighth place after both McLaren cars were disqualified.
Ferrari is not helping Lewis Hamilton because…
“From what we know, he’s struggling with the procedures. When he had a problem at Mercedes, he had people who would just deal with it without too much bureaucracy. Here, he points out an issue and a whole bureaucratic system starts up. So the races go by, and the problem stays there and never gets solved.” With these words, Matteo Bobbi suggested that Lewis Hamilton is not truly being listened to by the people around him, because Ferrari’s structure is too complex and bureaucratic. This is far from ideal: implementing changes becomes slow and inefficient, something that is unacceptable in Formula 1, especially when final results are often decided by thousandths of a second both on and off the track.
Umberto Zapelloni added his own perspective: “Hamilton absolutely needs to be listened to. He needs a team that follows him and the trust of everyone around him in order to perform at his best. And that is what is missing at Ferrari. He joined a team with mechanisms that are completely different from Mercedes, and the team has not supported him through this transition.” His comment highlights once again an adaptation problem rooted in the drastic change of environment. On top of these internal factors, one must also consider that Lewis Hamilton now finds himself driving the SF-25, a car that is extremely difficult to handle. After a decade spent working within Mercedes’ systems and processes, adjusting to Ferrari’s different approach has inevitably made the entire transition even more complicated.
Between excessive red tape, a car that punishes even tiny setup errors and a team still learning how to cater to one of the most successful drivers in history, Lewis Hamilton’s first Ferrari season has become exactly what he called it after Las Vegas: the worst of his career.
With only Qatar and Abu Dhabi left, any dramatic turnaround looks unlikely. The real test will come in 2026 – but only if Ferrari can finally give Lewis the quick-reacting, driver-focused environment he has always thrived in.
