Lewis Hamilton faces career-low season in 2025 as Ferrari struggles persist
Lewis Hamilton is confronting what could become the lowest point of his illustrious 19-year Formula 1 career during his debut season with Ferrari in 2025. The seven-time world champion moved to Maranello on a two-year deal, aiming to rejuvenate his career and chase further championship glory. Instead, Ferrari’s ongoing challenges with the SF-25 have left Hamilton with just 125 points across 18 rounds, placing him sixth in the F1 drivers’ championship standings and well below the pace he set during his record-breaking years with Mercedes.
This marks the first time in Hamilton’s career that he has failed to reach a Grand Prix podium past the tenth round of a season. While the 2025 campaign is not Lewis Hamilton’s first without a win — he also struggled to secure victories in 2022 and 2023 with Mercedes — those seasons still yielded nine and six podium finishes respectively. With only six races remaining in 2025, the Briton faces an uphill battle to avoid recording the worst season of his career.
Ferrari’s technical missteps limit Hamilton and Leclerc
Early in 2025, Ferrari prioritized a rear suspension upgrade over aerodynamic improvements, a decision that has since been widely criticized. The update, introduced at Spa in July, was intended to unlock the SF-25’s potential, yet the car has become resistant to performance gains from setup adjustments. Hamilton has struggled to extract results from the revised chassis, failing to finish higher than sixth place in the six rounds with the upgrade, while the Monegasque has also been hampered by the same limitations.
Former F1 driver Derek Daly, who competed for Tyrrell and Williams, has expressed doubts about Hamilton ever reaching the peak levels of his past success given the circumstances at Ferrari. Daly suggested that the move to Maranello may have been driven more by commercial considerations than pure racing strategy, noting that Hamilton was ranked by SportsPro as the most marketable Formula 1 driver in 2024, and the 11th most marketable athlete overall.
Daly emphasized that Lewis Hamilton’s influence on Formula 1 extends beyond the track, citing his role in expanding F1’s presence in fashion and global media. However, Daly believes those days of peak performance and iconic dominance are behind Hamilton. He argued that every athlete experiences a natural decline in reflexes and instincts over time, and Ferrari’s decision to sign Hamilton appears influenced by marketing opportunities rather than a focus solely on competitive advantage.
Hamilton’s results highlight Ferrari’s struggles in 2025
Lewis Hamilton’s only highlights of the 2025 season so far have come in F1 Sprint races. He won the Sprint at the Shanghai International Circuit in round two and secured a third-place finish in the Miami Sprint. Yet the 105-time Grand Prix winner has not claimed a podium in any feature race this season, with his best finishes in the first 18 Grands Prix being fourth place at Imola, the Red Bull Ring, and Silverstone. The introduction of Ferrari’s rear suspension upgrade at Spa in round 13 has failed to change this trend.
If Lewis Hamilton fails to secure a podium in two of the remaining six races, his first season at Ferrari will be officially recorded as the worst of his F1 career — a milestone that would also mark a stark contrast to his 202-time podium finishes and 105 Grand Prix victories. His previous lowest season rostrum counts were five podiums in 2009, 2013, and 2024, demonstrating just how challenging 2025 has been for the British driver.
Outlook for Ferrari and Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton’s struggles highlight deeper issues within Ferrari, from car development to strategic decisions in the paddock. The SF-25’s inability to respond to setup tweaks has exposed weaknesses in both the chassis and engineering approach. As the team prepares for the 2026 Formula 1 regulations overhaul, which will include major changes to aerodynamics, chassis, engine, and tyres, Ferrari faces a critical period to reassess technical strategy and extract maximum performance from both of its drivers. Analysts predict that the true measure of Lewis Hamilton’s and Charles Leclerc’s impact on car development may not be fully understood until the 2026 challenger hits the track in pre-season testing.
For now, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion must contend with a season that has not met expectations, all while navigating the challenges of adapting to Ferrari’s engineering approach and managing the pressure of a team desperate to return to championship contention. How the Briton rebounds in the final rounds of 2025 could set the tone for both his and Ferrari’s future heading into the next era of Formula 1.
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