How Lewis Hamilton’s struggles highlight Ferrari’s internal confusion

Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari, a story in Formula 1 marked by difficulties. One third of the 2025 championship is already behind us and unfortunately the arrival of the English driver in Maranello has not produced any magical effect, due to a technical regression compared to the great progress made last season. Even the Monaco weekend was extremely disappointing for the seven-time Formula 1 world champion, who was ruthlessly outperformed by Charles Leclerc on home turf.

Lewis Hamilton’s discomfort is made evident by the team radio messages, which reveal major issues in adapting to the new technical and human environment. The Anglo-Caribbean driver is a subtle communicator, and his messages are subliminal for those who can grasp their meaning. To best face what is likely the final chapter of a stellar career, Lewis Hamilton has tried to build his comfort zone.

He did this by bringing trusted people with him, such as his long-time personal assistant from Mercedes, Angela Cullen. It is no secret that the seven-time Formula 1 world champion wanted to continue his partnership with “Bono”, Peter Bonnington, the veteran race engineer from his long tenure in Brackley. A collaboration that could not continue in red for various reasons.

The British driver rolled up his sleeves, trying to settle into the Maranello environment as quickly as possible. He put in maximum effort, trying to show that fear of change was not in his nature. However, the signs of discomfort are now too evident to ignore, both with Riccardo Adami and more generally.

Beyond the beating taken from Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton’s Monaco Grand Prix weekend was definitively compromised by a fatal misunderstanding during the first part of the qualifying session on Saturday. The impeding incident in Q1 involving Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen occurred because Riccardo Adami had informed him that the Red Bull driver had slowed down behind him, when in fact he was on a flying lap. The resulting three-place grid penalty dropped him from fourth to seventh on the grid for the start of the Monaco Grand Prix.

A terrible blow also in terms of Ferrari’s overall race strategy, reducing the tactical options available to the team in red to outmaneuver the superb McLaren on a track where it is impossible to overtake. In the race, although car number 44 gained two positions and finished fifth, the communications between Lewis Hamilton and Riccardo Adami were once again far from smooth. In fact, the correct term would be almost surreal.

At the end of the race, the British driver explained that he hadn’t understood what he was fighting for, only gaining a clear picture of the situation after reviewing the data post-race. The water poured on the flames by Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur in the usual post-race interviews further confirms a worrying disconnect between the communication expected by the driver and that provided by the team.

The feeling is that the Ferrari pit wall lacks an authoritative figure to oversee the work of the two race engineers. Someone like Ross Brawn, to give another example, ready to intervene decisively when communication issues risk seriously compromising the team’s overall result, and capable of immediately shutting down embarrassing episodes broadcast worldwide.

Another sore point is Lewis Hamilton’s ongoing complaints about the braking system, described as a real lottery during the Made in Italy and Emilia Romagna Grand Prix – in other words, at the Imola circuit. A source of frustration that forced Brembo, through its Communications Manager Daniele Bettini, to clarify matters via Formula 1’s Italian broadcaster.

The switch from the Carbon Industries braking system used at Mercedes to Brembo components, the historic partner of Scuderia Ferrari, is proving very difficult for Lewis Hamilton. The English Ferrari driver has repeatedly highlighted the challenge of understanding its behavior, due to the unpredictability of the brakes from one set to another. A factor that is becoming a constant throughout the 2025 Formula 1 season.

The Italian company, through its communications head, explained that Brembo is working closely with the Maranello team to try to meet the needs of the historic team. However, Daniele Bettini’s appearance live on SkySportF1 seemed like a necessary move, a kind of protection of the image of one of Italy’s greatest motorsport excellences, namely Brembo.