Italian press suggests Ferrari were misled by Baku FP2 pace, ignoring key evidence about SF-25. Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari struggles continued at the 2025 Azerbaijan GP.

Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari struggles continue after disappointing Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton’s highly anticipated move to Ferrari in 2025 has yet to deliver the fairytale ending that both he and the Tifosi had hoped for. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion is still waiting for his first podium in red, as the Azerbaijan Grand Prix once again highlighted the difficulties facing both Hamilton and the Scuderia.

The 40-year-old British driver, now 17 races into his Ferrari journey, has endured one of the toughest starts of his illustrious career. His best results so far remain three fourth-place finishes at Imola, Austria and Silverstone. Beyond those highlights, Hamilton has consistently struggled to break into the top five, with his recent form showing no finishes better than sixth over the last five races. His P8 finish in Baku was only slightly better than earlier disappointments such as P12 in Hungary, P10 in Australia and another P8 in Miami.

This latest result leaves Lewis Hamilton sixth in the drivers’ standings with 121 points, already 44 points behind his teammate Charles Leclerc. To make matters worse, Hamilton and Leclerc caused internal friction in Baku when the Briton failed to correctly give eighth place back to the Monegasque after a miscalculated position swap, an incident that did not go unnoticed within Ferrari.

Ferrari misled by Hamilton’s FP2 pace in Azerbaijan

Despite the eventual race result, Ferrari began the Baku weekend with genuine optimism. Italian media reported that Hamilton’s performance in the second free practice session created a sense of misplaced confidence within the team. His benchmark lap of 1:41.293 placed him at the top of the timesheets, just 0.074s ahead of Charles Leclerc and almost half a second clear of George Russell’s Mercedes. With Leclerc also third in FP1 and Hamilton fourth in FP3, Ferrari looked like potential frontrunners heading into qualifying.

However, reality struck quickly. The Monegasque crashed during qualifying before setting a representative lap time in Q3, while Hamilton was eliminated in Q2 with only the 12th-fastest time. The hopes of a breakthrough result collapsed almost immediately. The Italian press suggested that Lewis Hamilton’s second free practice pace had given Ferrari “false illusions” and blinded them from what the data was already showing — that the SF-25 lacked a clear competitive edge on this type of circuit.

Lewis Hamilton’s race was then defined by handling difficulties, particularly with rear-end instability, leaving him to finish over 36 seconds behind race-winner Max Verstappen. What started as a weekend of promise ended in another reminder of Ferrari’s ongoing limitations in 2025.

Ferrari ignored lessons from the Italian Grand Prix

The Azerbaijan disappointment came just two weeks after Ferrari’s letdown at Monza. The team had entered their home race with high expectations, believing the SF-25 would thrive on the smooth surface of the Italian track. Instead, Leclerc and Hamilton qualified fourth and fifth (before Hamilton’s grid penalty dropped him to 10th), and finished fourth and sixth respectively, both well adrift of the leaders. Leclerc crossed the line more than 25 seconds behind the winner, while Hamilton finished over 37 seconds back.

Despite these warning signs, Ferrari seemed to cling to Hamilton’s FP2 pace in Baku as evidence of progress. In reality, their car’s performance at Monza had already demonstrated the gap to Red Bull and McLaren, yet the Scuderia overlooked those lessons in the pursuit of short-term optimism. By ignoring their own data, Ferrari set themselves up for another frustrating weekend.

Strategy questions add to Lewis Hamilton’s frustration

Compounding the problems in Baku, Hamilton questioned Ferrari’s tyre decisions during qualifying. A mistimed run plan left him starting from a compromised position, forcing him to fight from the midfield rather than competing for a podium. The outcome only deepened Ferrari’s ongoing drought: no Grand Prix wins this season and no podium for Hamilton since joining the team.

As the 2025 Formula 1 campaign moves forward, Hamilton’s dream of driving for Ferrari continues to feel like a nightmare. With rivals McLaren and Red Bull pulling clear, and Mercedes now overtaking Ferrari in the constructors’ standings, pressure on Fred Vasseur and the Maranello leadership is intensifying. Unless Ferrari can extract more consistent performance from the SF-25, Lewis Hamilton’s wait for his first podium in red may stretch even longer, leaving both driver and team searching for answers.