Lewis Hamilton predicted Ferrari’s biggest internal challenge before joining the team from Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton’s struggles deepen at Ferrari as doubts over his form and future intensify

Lewis Hamilton experienced one of the most challenging weekends of his 2025 Formula 1 season during the Hungarian Grand Prix, where his frustrations reached a boiling point. While his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc was battling at the front for victory, Hamilton failed to even break into the top 10, continuing a worrying downward spiral in form.

For the third consecutive qualifying session—including the Sprint at Spa-Francorchamps—Hamilton was eliminated early, failing to advance to the final shootout. Despite Ferrari opting for an alternative one-stop strategy to try to boost his chances, Hamilton made no headway in the race itself. Starting in 12th position on the grid, he ended the Grand Prix exactly where he began—in 12th place.

In a striking post-qualifying interview, the seven-time world champion appeared to lose faith in himself. He reportedly referred to his own performance as “useless” and even went as far as to suggest that Ferrari should consider replacing him. It was a startling and emotional moment, marking one of the most candid admissions in his nearly two-decade-long career in Formula 1.

In recent months, there had been signs that the British driver was gradually finding consistency in his new surroundings. Between the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and his home event at Silverstone, Hamilton consistently placed inside the top six across 11 straight sessions. While the results were far from spectacular, they demonstrated a level of steady form that hinted at progress within the Maranello-based team.

However, back-to-back disappointing performances before the summer break have undone much of that progress and optimism. Hamilton is now facing the very real possibility of finishing an entire season without stepping onto the podium—something that has never happened in his illustrious F1 career. As he contemplates his future, doubts are emerging about whether the dream of claiming a record-breaking eighth world championship is still realistic.

Lewis Hamilton warned Ferrari he was losing pace—he may have been right

Hamilton’s brutally honest comments in Hungary were not isolated. In fact, the British driver has publicly questioned his own speed on multiple occasions this season. Last November, after Sprint qualifying at the Qatar Grand Prix, he placed five positions behind his Mercedes teammate George Russell and admitted he was struggling to find pace.

At the time, Hamilton had remarked that he was simply “slow” and stated that his car had felt fine, with no real issues to report. He concluded that there wasn’t much else to say, acknowledging that he was “definitely not fast anymore.” Those remarks, dismissed by some as temporary frustration, now appear eerily prescient given how the 2025 season has unfolded.

This loss of confidence has arguably become Hamilton’s most significant challenge in 2025. While Ferrari’s SF-25 car has well-documented flaws—it has proven difficult to handle and regularly forces drivers to lift and coast to protect the underbody—elite drivers are often able to adapt and still extract strong results from suboptimal machinery.

Charles Leclerc has done exactly that. The Monegasque driver has outperformed Hamilton across the board, outscoring him by 32 points so far this season. Leclerc has secured five podium finishes and a brilliant pole position in Budapest, dominating the intra-team battle with a 24-8 lead in sessions where both drivers were classified.

There is a chance that Hamilton may be more at ease with the new generation of Formula 1 cars that will debut in 2026, which could better suit his driving style. However, as he approaches his 41st birthday, there is also growing speculation that the natural decline associated with age may be catching up with one of the sport’s all-time greats.

Ferrari’s unique culture proves difficult for Lewis Hamilton to adapt to

Following the Hungarian Grand Prix, Hamilton remained motionless for over a minute after parking in parc fermé, a moment that seemed to reflect the emotional and mental weight he is currently carrying. The British driver’s confidence appears to have been shaken, and this is where his longstanding relationship with Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur could prove to be crucial in helping him rebuild his self-belief.

Even if Hamilton returns stronger in the latter part of the season or in 2026, he will need to demonstrate resilience in the face of setbacks—something that is proving more difficult than expected in the unique environment of Ferrari.

Former world champion Jacques Villeneuve has recently suggested that Hamilton is beginning to grasp just how different Ferrari’s internal operations are compared to what he had become accustomed to throughout his career. Having spent nearly two decades with predominantly British-based teams such as McLaren and Mercedes, the cultural shift to Italy’s most iconic and politically complex racing team has likely been more jarring than he anticipated.

Although Hamilton previously said he felt “reinvigorated” ahead of his highly anticipated debut season with the Scuderia, his current form suggests otherwise. With each underwhelming race weekend, the chances of a fairytale comeback to the top step of the podium seem to diminish further. If the trend continues, Hamilton’s tenure at Ferrari could be remembered less for glory and more as a sobering final chapter in an otherwise extraordinary Formula 1 career.