Lewis Hamilton arrived at the Spa Grand Prix weekend riding a strong wave of form, consistently finishing within the top six—second only to championship leader Oscar Piastri in this regard. Since the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, where Hamilton impressively surged from 12th on the grid to fourth place, he had maintained a remarkable streak of top-six finishes across the last 10 competitive sessions. While he had yet to end his podium drought, Hamilton’s performances reflected growing stability and consistency. However, this promising run unraveled at Spa-Francorchamps. Despite rarely making mistakes this season and demonstrating solid pace in the Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton’s weekend was marred by two uncharacteristic errors that resulted in his elimination in Q1 on both qualifying days—a spin on Friday afternoon followed by a track limits violation on Saturday. Though he recovered to finish seventh in the race, Charles Leclerc’s podium finish underscored the true potential of the Ferrari SF-25.
Gary Anderson Challenges Lewis Hamilton’s Explanation of Ferrari Rear Locking
In his column for The Telegraph, former Formula 1 designer Gary Anderson expressed doubts about Hamilton’s reluctance to fully accept responsibility for his recent shortcomings. Anderson suggested this attitude echoed Hamilton’s approach during his final seasons with Mercedes, when he was overshadowed by teammate George Russell and managed only two wins in three years. According to Anderson, Hamilton still appears affected by the shock of Mercedes’ drastic decline since the introduction of ground-effect regulations in 2022, a downturn that ended his dominance and shifted his mindset from expecting victories to simply aiming for podium finishes.
Although Lewis Hamilton described his Q1 eliminations as “unacceptable,” his comments about the spin during Sprint qualifying stirred controversy. The Briton had implied that locking the rear brakes in such a manner was unfamiliar to him—a claim that has been met with considerable skepticism among F1 experts. Anderson contended that locking the rear brakes is a common occurrence at Spa and generally relates to brake balance adjustments, rather than an unfamiliar phenomenon.
Anderson urged Hamilton to adjust both his mindset and driving style to better suit the Ferrari. He wrote that while Hamilton acknowledged his mistakes, he seemed to still place blame on team issues instead of focusing solely on correcting his own performance. Anderson highlighted that Hamilton’s approach had not evolved significantly since his Mercedes days, where, at times, he appeared to deflect accountability. He emphasized that these modern F1 cars are complex machines requiring a measured approach—drivers must often prioritize driving within the limits instead of aggressively pushing beyond them when conditions do not allow.
Hamilton’s Strong Strategic Call Partially Redeems Spa Weekend
Despite qualifying setbacks, Hamilton demonstrated one of his greatest strengths during the race through impeccable strategic decisions. Working closely with his race engineer Riccardo Adami, Hamilton was among the first drivers to switch to slick tyres at the ideal moment, a move that allowed him to climb an impressive 11 positions from his pit lane start. Even Max Verstappen’s engineer publicly praised Hamilton’s perfect timing, which helped the Briton maintain his remarkable streak of scoring points at every Grand Prix this season.
Looking ahead, Lewis Hamilton is expected to grow more comfortable with Ferrari’s brake system. At Spa, he was still adapting to new Brembo brake pads designed to enhance his braking feel and confidence. This adjustment period likely limited his ability to push aggressively on the brakes, but future races should see him become more natural and assertive in this area.
However, challenges remain for both the British driver and Ferrari. The Maranello team continues to instruct its drivers to lift and coast during races to manage fuel and tyre degradation—an indication that fundamental performance issues persist within the SF-25. For Lewis Hamilton to close the gap to his rivals, both his driving and the car’s capabilities must improve significantly as the season progresses.
