Lewis Hamilton’s fans had hoped he would arrive at the Miami Grand Prix with a refreshed sense of optimism. However, following his disappointing performance at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the seven-time world champion’s mood seemed far from upbeat.
After qualifying half a second slower than his Ferrari teammate, Charles Leclerc, and finishing over 30 seconds behind in the race, Hamilton openly expressed concerns that the rest of the 2025 season might prove “painful.” Despite this, the 40-year-old assured a London audience at a sponsor event that he would not “give up” and promised to continue improving. Yet, when speaking ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, Hamilton appeared to be in a similar state of mind, with no clear improvement on the horizon.
Despite visiting Ferrari’s Maranello factory for data analysis and simulator sessions in an effort to turn things around, Hamilton still seemed unable to find the solution to his ongoing struggles with the car.
During Thursday’s FIA press conference in Miami, Hamilton appeared alongside former teammate George Russell and Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg. When asked by host Tom Clarkson what was preventing him from extracting the full potential of his Ferrari, Hamilton’s response was succinct but vague: “Many things. Lots of different things. There’s not one particular.”
Sky Sports’ David Croft then inquired whether a new driver in a team could expect to be quicker than their teammate initially. Hamilton’s response was similarly brief and lacked depth: “I mean, there are elements of that that are true, but it’s different for everyone.”
On the BBC’s Chequered Flag podcast, journalist Jennie Gow discussed Hamilton’s behavior at the press conference, highlighting the challenge her producer faced in creating a meaningful segment from the interaction. “He spoke in the press conference today, but I think the word ‘speak’ is going over the top,” Gow remarked. “Single-word answers made it difficult for our producer to cobble something together that made any sense. He was just not into it.”
Meanwhile, F1 pundit Ted Kravitz revealed that Ferrari’s latest advice to Hamilton was not to give up, with the team still hopeful that there is potential for improvement. However, the 40-year-old’s visibly downcast demeanor and lack of belief in an immediate turnaround raises questions about his confidence in Ferrari’s ability to turn things around.
Ralf Schumacher, another F1 pundit, suggested that Hamilton might need to look at the example set by young Haas driver Oliver Bearman. Ralf Schumacher pointed out that the Ferrari junior’s fresh perspective and adaptability have allowed him to quickly adjust to his new team, a flexibility Hamilton may need to adopt. However, such a change in approach is easier said than done, especially for a driver who has had such a successful career with his own driving style.
Despite Ferrari’s optimism and the fact that 19 races still remain in the 2025 season, the Briton’s current mood appears to reflect a sense of doubt. Although it only takes one strong result to shift the narrative, Lewis Hamilton himself seems unconvinced that such a result is on the horizon.
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