F1 | Another qualifying session in Belgium, another disappointment at Ferrari: Lewis Hamilton cuts it short and reveals the team’s future plans
The 2025 Formula 1 season continues to be a difficult chapter for Lewis Hamilton, and the performance displayed during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend at Spa-Francorchamps may well represent the lowest point since the seven-time World Champion joined Scuderia Ferrari. What had been heralded as a potentially strong season for the Maranello-based team is now revealing its limits—particularly when compared with the pace and consistency of McLaren.
At the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit, Formula 1 is hosting the thirteenth round of the current championship season. Expectations were high coming into the Belgian Grand Prix, with many hoping that Ferrari could challenge McLaren for dominance in the constructors’ standings. However, reality has turned out quite different. Charles Leclerc managed to secure fourth position in both qualifying sessions, maintaining a solid—albeit unspectacular—pace. By contrast, Lewis Hamilton has continued to struggle, never appearing fully comfortable with the SF-25 on this demanding circuit.
The disappointing weekend for Lewis Hamilton became particularly evident following Saturday’s Sprint and the subsequent qualifying session. Initially, during Q1, it appeared that the British driver had done enough to progress to the next phase, but a track limits violation led to his best lap being deleted. As a result, Lewis Hamilton was pushed down to 16th position on the grid—an outcome that was both unexpected and demoralizing.
This Belgian Grand Prix weekend was seen as a crucial opportunity for Scuderia Ferrari to change the momentum of their season. With new upgrades introduced on the SF-25, the hope within the team was to close the gap to their rivals. However, the outcome has fallen short of those expectations, with the new developments proving insufficient to enable Ferrari to consistently challenge at the front of the grid.
Lewis Hamilton acknowledged the team’s efforts but admitted that the upgrades were not enough. “The car is performing reasonably well, but the updates haven’t allowed us to make a big enough step forward to fight at the front,” he stated. He also took responsibility for his own mistakes during qualifying: “We had to use a second set of Soft tyres just to get through Q1. Then, from my side, there was another mistake. I really need to reflect on that. I must apologise to the team because it’s simply unacceptable to be eliminated in Q1 in back-to-back sessions. It’s an extremely poor performance on my part.”
The seven-time World Champion did not shy away from expressing his disappointment. “It’s incredibly painful. So far, it’s proving to be a really bad weekend,” Lewis Hamilton said. Looking ahead to Sunday’s race, the British driver did not offer a confident outlook. “Anything can happen here, but I really don’t know. I have no idea what will happen tomorrow. It’s going to be very tough starting from where we are, so this will definitely be a weekend to forget.”
Despite the setbacks, Lewis Hamilton highlighted that the team remains committed and is doing everything it can with the resources available. “We’re trying to make the most of what we have. Everyone is working at full speed at the factory,” he added. Yet his tone revealed a sense of resignation as he admitted that Ferrari’s development for 2025 is essentially complete. “We’ve introduced some upgrades, but I think that’s it for this year. The focus is now turning to next year’s car. This season has been a difficult one.”
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