Ivan Capelli’s analysis on Lewis Hamilton’s struggles and gap to Charles Leclerc. Ivan Capelli analyzes Lewis Hamilton's difficulties.

A Ferrari still not at the top and a Lewis Hamilton far from the front positions. Added to this is the gap from Charles Leclerc: the difference between the two is considerable, a full six-tenths, which on a track like Jeddah raises concern. While it is true that the Englishman needs time to adapt to a team with characteristics so different from Mercedes, the struggles on track are numerous.

These difficulties are starting to show on the face of the seven-time world champion, no longer excited and smiling, but gloomy and (apparently) focused. Before qualifying, Marc Gené admitted that Lewis was one of the last to leave the paddock on Friday night, a sign of hard work and the search for a connection with a car that he still cannot dominate.

A Curse in the First Sector
According to Matteo Bobbi, both Hamilton and Leclerc lost significant time compared to their rivals in the first sector, a gap that then became impossible to recover in the following sectors. But in the race, the scenarios could change: “I think in the race they can be close to Russell, that’s their real goal, because Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri are in another performance dimension. Then the race could offer us various insights. They’re missing something, I don’t know if it’s just the tire or maybe more mechanical grip [referring to the SF-25]. Even in Suzuka, in the slow corners, they struggled a lot. It seems this year’s car struggles in slow corners,” he admitted.

While Leclerc manages to make a difference, securing the second row despite numerous difficulties, Hamilton fails to shine like the Monegasque, stopping in seventh position. The Englishman stated after qualifying that he was grateful for his Q3 progression. A statement that left Mara Sangiorgio, Matteo Bobbi, and Ivan Capelli somewhat stunned. Capelli himself admitted what his feelings are about the period Hamilton is going through at Ferrari:

“Hamilton Has Lost the Fun”
“Hamilton has lost the fun. Because, at the end of the day, when a driver gets into the car and has to find half a tenth, a tenth, you do it because you enjoy it, because you play with the car, you feel it. What I see in his eyes is passive, he knows what the problems are but cannot find the solutions with his engineers, and he doesn’t enjoy it,” he explained.

The Euphoria is Gone
Looking back at the pre-season tests, just a month and a half ago, Sky’s experts admitted that Hamilton’s adrenaline has diminished compared to the beginning, perhaps due to the reality checks he’s had to face. And with Charles Leclerc now fully adjusted to the harsh reality of Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton will not find it easy to do the same in a short time.

Compromises are needed, hard work, and many aspects to test on track to give the Englishman greater confidence with this SF-25. A connection that Lewis must also try to find, challenging himself in an adventure where the expected scenarios were likely very different. Now, all that’s left is to let the track speak: tonight at 7 PM Central European Summer Time, the Saudi Arabian GP will start, where Ferrari fans are hoping for a Easter miracle from Leclerc and Hamilton.