Jolyon Palmer warns Lewis Hamilton may be facing problem that sparked Mercedes' decline

Jolyon Palmer Raises Red Flag Over Lewis Hamilton’s Struggles With Ferrari’s 2025 F1 Car

Lewis Hamilton is hoping that the extended pause between the Saudi Arabian and Miami Grands Prix has provided the mental reset he desperately needs following a challenging start to his Ferrari career during the first triple-header of the 2025 Formula 1 season.

While Ferrari entered the season with high expectations, the Scuderia’s campaign has so far failed to meet internal and fan expectations—aside from two high points. One came in Saudi Arabia, where Charles Leclerc secured the team’s first Grand Prix podium of the year. The other came in China, when Hamilton secured pole position and went on to win the Sprint Race, a performance that briefly reignited hopes for a breakthrough.

However, underlying technical limitations have emerged. Ferrari’s SF-25 has shown a tendency to underperform when set up with a higher ride height—an aerodynamic compromise that has affected both qualifying pace and race consistency. Despite bringing a revised floor to Bahrain in an effort to resolve the issue, the solution has been only partially effective.

Lewis Hamilton’s own performance has also been marred by misfortune. After a promising outing in Shanghai, his disqualification for excessive plank wear nullified the gains and left Ferrari scrambling to regain momentum. Meanwhile, his gap to Charles Leclerc—especially in qualifying—has raised fresh concerns.

Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer believes he may have pinpointed a deeper issue that is troubling the seven-time world champion. Speaking on the F1 Nation Podcast, Palmer analyzed Lewis Hamilton’s opening races with Ferrari and drew parallels to the Briton’s late-era struggles at Mercedes.

According to the former Formula 1 driver, Lewis Hamilton appears to be struggling with an inability to consistently feel the limit of grip available from the car. He noted that the Ferrari seems to behave unpredictably in crucial phases of cornering—entry, mid-corner, and exit—which is making it difficult for Lewis Hamilton to extract its full potential. Palmer observed that when the car behaves as expected, The British driver can still display flashes of brilliance reminiscent of his championship-winning years, but those moments are increasingly rare.

Palmer warned that this inconsistency echoes the same issues Hamilton faced at Mercedes during the early ground-effect years, particularly in 2022 and 2023. The car would appear competitive one session and then completely lose performance the next, leaving Hamilton puzzled about what had changed. According to Palmer, what’s especially concerning is that Hamilton, even after multiple races and ample data analysis, still seems uncertain about how to resolve these recurring problems. He added that Hamilton appeared unusually dejected following the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix—perhaps the most downbeat he’s been since joining Ferrari.

This ongoing struggle raises the question of whether Ferrari’s 2025 car is exacerbating the very issues Hamilton hoped to leave behind at Mercedes. The new environment was supposed to be a fresh chapter, yet familiar frustrations are resurfacing. Palmer’s comments suggest that Hamilton is once again caught in a vicious cycle of imbalance and inconsistency, where the car’s behaviour varies from session to session, undermining confidence and rhythm.

Ferrari’s current situation may be evoking what Palmer described as Hamilton’s “worst nightmare”: a technically limited car that doesn’t respond predictably to driver input. This lack of coherence between driver feedback and vehicle response is especially damaging during qualifying, where Hamilton has notably lagged behind Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque’s experience with the team and proficiency in one-lap performance have only further highlighted the disparity between the two drivers.

Moreover, the Briton’s setup preferences appear to be diverging significantly from Charles Leclerc’s. According to team sources, the two drivers are requesting opposite changes to key parameters—something that may suggest Hamilton hasn’t yet established a firm grasp on what direction will solve his specific issues. This not only hampers development but also creates internal complexities within the team’s approach to race weekends.

To make matters worse for Hamilton, his current points deficit paints a stark picture. He trails Leclerc by 16 points in the Drivers’ Championship and is also behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the teenage prodigy who replaced him at Mercedes. This only adds to the pressure.

Parallels are now being drawn between Hamilton’s trajectory and that of other recent underperformers in the sport. Daniel Ricciardo’s fall from form at McLaren and subsequent struggles with RB serve as a cautionary tale. However, unlike Daniel Ricciardo, Lewis Hamilton’s seat at Ferrari is likely secure for the near future due to his star power and long-term contract. That said, the fundamental challenges remain unresolved.

In summary, Ferrari’s 2025 car has yet to provide Hamilton with the competitive edge he needs. And with early season flaws still present, questions about whether he can adapt quickly enough—or whether Ferrari can deliver a car more suited to his driving style—are becoming increasingly urgent. As Palmer warns, this may be more than just a slow start; it could be a continuation of a deeper issue that has followed Hamilton from Brackley to Maranello.