Very strong and impactful words came from seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton during the drivers’ press conference ahead of the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. The British driver, who is now competing in his first season as a Scuderia Ferrari driver, made it clear that he is doing everything he can to push the Maranello-based team forward, declaring: “I’m here to win.”
Lewis Hamilton is doing his homework
This weekend, at the historic Spa-Francorchamps circuit, Lewis Hamilton is aiming to finally secure his first podium finish with Scuderia Ferrari in a Grand Prix. In the first 12 races of the 2025 Formula 1 season, the British champion has never managed to go beyond fourth place—although he did finish in fourth position in the two most recent events, the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring and the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Both races saw a number of key contenders drop out of the top three due to various incidents, which opened the door for Hamilton, but he still could not step onto the podium.
Sir Lewis Hamilton is clearly not satisfied with how the initial part of his Ferrari journey has unfolded. Many elements within the team are not yet working as he, the leadership of Scuderia Ferrari, and the passionate Tifosi fanbase had envisioned when the high-profile move was announced. The British driver is still in the process of fully adapting to a completely new working environment—Ferrari operates with a very different culture and approach compared to his previous teams.
Lewis Hamilton knows he must also meet the team halfway, and during the recent Formula 1 summer break, he took concrete steps to do just that. He dedicated time to analyze Ferrari’s current shortcomings and compiled detailed documents outlining all the issues affecting the performance of the SF-25 single-seater, along with potential areas for organizational and technical improvement.
Lewis Hamilton’s words at Spa
“In Maranello, I’ve taken part in many meetings—not just with [Ferrari CEO] Benedetto Vigna, [Ferrari President] John Elkann, and [Team Principal] Frédéric Vasseur, but also in technical briefings with Enrico Serra. I’ve prepared documents outlining the car’s problems, as well as the changes we could implement within the team,” explained Lewis Hamilton during Thursday’s press conference at Spa-Francorchamps.
“The reason I put together these documents is that I see immense potential in this team. Nothing compares to Ferrari’s passion and legacy, but this is a huge organization, and there are a lot of moving parts—not all of which are operating at full capacity,” Hamilton emphasized.
“That’s one of the reasons why the team hasn’t achieved the level of success I believe it deserves. I feel it’s my responsibility to challenge every part of the structure, especially those in leadership roles who make key decisions,” he added.
Reflecting on Ferrari’s history over the past two decades, Lewis Hamilton pointed out that the Italian team has had exceptional drivers such as Kimi Räikkönen, Fernando Alonso, and Sebastian Vettel—all of them Formula 1 World Champions. However, despite their talent and experience, both Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel were unable to secure a championship title during their time in red.
“If you look at the team for the last 20 years, they have had amazing drivers – Fernando, Kimi, Sebastian. Amazing drivers but they didn’t win a title, and I refuse to have that happen with me. If you do the same things you have the same results, so I’m challenging everything. They are very responsive. I’m here to win, I don’t have much time so it is crunch time. That’s why I’m making an extra effort. I’ve been lucky to gain valuable experience in two other great teams [McLaren and Mercedes], and although there are cultural differences, the reality is that if you keep doing things the same way, you’ll keep getting the same results,” concluded Lewis Hamilton. “I’m here to win—and this is a critical moment for me.”
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