Ferrari’s British driver, Lewis Hamilton, finished eighth in the final Grand Prix of the 2025 season, completing a remarkable comeback from sixteenth on the starting grid.
The challenges of 2025
Lewis Hamilton’s early excitement upon joining Maranello turned into a sports nightmare for the seven-time world champion, as he faced consistent difficulties with the Ferrari SF-25 throughout the championship. He never reached the podium and rarely started from pole position, with the only exception being the Shanghai qualifying and Sprint race, where he claimed victory. Most of his results were underwhelming and lackluster, including his final qualifying sessions of the season. At Abu Dhabi, the #44 was even eliminated in Q1.
The comeback
The Briton ended his first season in red with an eighth-place finish at Yas Marina, completing a comeback from sixteenth on the grid. “I had fun,” Lewis Hamilton told the official F1 media regarding the final race of the season. “I was enjoying the battle while trying to move up. It was challenging to climb through the field, and given how close all the cars were, it was very difficult to get back into the points, but the team did an excellent job. We managed the situation with the strategy, and I’m happy to have scored points.” – the Ferrari man pointed out.
Looking ahead to 2026
Ferrari’s collective hope for 2026 is to return to winning contention in a championship that will bring several regulatory changes. However, Lewis Hamilton’s priorities at this point in the year are different, as he emphasized before the Abu Dhabi race: “I’m not thinking about 2026, it’s not in my plans at the moment. Right now I’m just focusing on Christmas, spending time with family, being present, and recuperating.”
Eighth place in the season finale was a microcosm of Lewis Hamilton’s first year in red: flashes of the old magic, plenty of hard work, but ultimately falling short of the sky-high expectations. The page turns quickly in Formula 1 – and for Lewis, the real Ferrari chapter starts now.
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