Lewis Hamilton like we've never seen him before: just normal adaptation, or is something wrong?

That Lewis Hamilton’s competitiveness would not immediately reach exceptional levels once he joined Ferrari was something the entire paddock had already largely taken into account. After all, it couldn’t have been otherwise for a driver who, after 12 years, not only changed teams but also his entire lifestyle—moving from England to Italy is not simple, both in terms of work methods and, above all, daily routine.

This weekend appears to have particularly unsettled the Briton, who even during qualifying seemed to still be searching for harmony with his SF-25—something he hasn’t found since the very first laps on Friday. After narrowly avoiding elimination in Q2 by just 7 thousandths ahead of Alexander Albon, Lewis Hamilton was dealt a harsh blow in Q3: he was six tenths slower than Charles Leclerc—a heavy verdict at the start of a season proving more complicated than expected.

The SF-25 isn’t helping

For a driver, confidence in the car is essential to push it to the limit, especially on a circuit like Jeddah, where speeds are unusually high for a street track. The SF-25 is a car born with definite shortcomings, particularly in slow sections: a clear example is the turn 1-2 sequence, where the Maranello car loses two tenths compared to the other top teams, ranking as the second-worst performer in that area.

Ferrari’s problems are confirmed by the difficulties even Charles Leclerc has to cope with, though he manages to compensate in the following sectors of the track. The Monegasque is certainly one of the best qualifiers on the grid—that’s nothing new—but a gap of over half a second can’t be explained solely by his talent and the car’s deficiencies.

Has the British driver lost his edge on a single lap? The comparison with Charles Leclerc (and George Russell)

The seven-time world champion has never fully adapted to this generation of ground-effect cars, something already noticeable during his three years alongside George Russell at Mercedes. Since arriving at Ferrari, the trend has worryingly continued—except for a flash of brilliance in China.

Setting aside the fact that today will mark his 40th consecutive Grand Prix without a pole (his longest drought ever), the comparison with his last two teammates is striking, given the caliber of a driver like Lewis Hamilton. In 2024, Russell has outqualified him 19 times in 24 sessions, with an average gap of two tenths. Based on the data from the graphic below, the gap increases to three tenths when compared to Leclerc.

The light has gone out

Let’s be clear: no one expected—or demanded—to see the seven-time Formula 1 world champion immediately within a few thousandths of Charles Leclerc, or even ahead. But it’s undeniable that the multiple World Champion is struggling—probably more than Ferrari had anticipated.

Raising some questions is also Lewis Hamilton’s demeanor, which has changed drastically compared to pre-season testing. That initial spark already seems to have faded, as noted by Ivan Capelli on Sky Sport: “The engineers have the tools to evaluate him, but from the outside we see a Lewis Hamilton who never looks aggressive… he seems to be suffering from the car, his lines are always full of corrections. Lewis is a driver who has taken pole in Jeddah and knows well where to find the speed. Yet today, he seems to lack feeling and can’t put together a clean lap.”

More than ever, it’s crucial to quickly identify the root of the problem, considering we’re on the verge of the fifth race and the first third of the 2025 Formula 1 season is nearly over. Soon, it will no longer be acceptable to write everything off as a “simple period of adaptation” to Ferrari.