Lewis Hamilton struggles with Ferrari’s core flaw at Imola

Lewis Hamilton’s Charge to P4 at Imola Highlights Ferrari’s Lingering Qualifying Struggles

Lewis Hamilton delivered his strongest result yet as a Ferrari driver at the 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, climbing from 12th on the grid to finish fourth at Imola. Despite still chasing his first podium since joining the Scuderia from Mercedes, the Briton’s performance offered a glimmer of hope for the Tifosi at their home race.

The seven-time world champion made significant progress through the field on race day, nearly securing a top-three result in Ferrari’s backyard. A late safety car, deployed to recover Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s stricken Mercedes, provided a strategic opportunity. Ferrari opted to bring Hamilton into the pits for a fresh set of hard tyres, which allowed him to overtake George Russell, Alex Albon, and teammate Charles Leclerc. However, the Briton narrowly missed out on a podium, finishing just 1.4 seconds behind Oscar Piastri in third.

Charles Leclerc, who had already completed two tyre changes by Lap 46 of 63, was not called in again under the safety car. Instead, Ferrari left the Monegasque out on a used set of hards fitted on Lap 29. As a result, he was vulnerable in the closing stages and lost places to both Albon and Lewis Hamilton, crossing the line in seventh behind the Williams driver.

Despite their gains on Sunday, Ferrari’s underlying issues remained evident. Both Lewis Hamilton and his Maranello teammate failed to progress beyond Q2 in qualifying—a double elimination that underlined the team’s core weakness. Former F1 driver Christian Danner remarked that while the Scuderia attempted damage limitation on race day, the poor Saturday performance at their home Grand Prix continued to haunt them.

According to Christian Danner, the race pace of the SF-25 looked promising in clean air, as demonstrated by both drivers. Yet he emphasized that starting from mid-grid positions like 11th and 12th significantly limits the car’s potential. Danner concluded that Ferrari’s main issue remains their one-lap pace, which consistently compromises their starting positions and overall race strategies.

Timo Glock also weighed in on Ferrari’s Imola performance, describing qualifying as a “disaster.” He noted that both drivers narrowly missed out on Q3, with Charles Leclerc falling short by just 0.083 seconds and Hamilton by 0.244 seconds to Alex Albon. Glock highlighted Ferrari’s ongoing difficulty in extracting the final tenths from the SF-25 during qualifying trim, suggesting the car lacks precision over a single lap.

Race day told a different story. As fuel loads dropped and conditions normalized, the SF-25 began to show its true potential. Hamilton, starting on the hard compound tyres, was able to extend his first stint and benefit from the virtual safety car on Lap 29, which was triggered by Esteban Ocon’s stranded Haas. While Hamilton did not make immediate gains on track, many of his rivals had already pitted, allowing him to move up the order as the race unfolded.

By the time the VSC ended, Hamilton had worked his way up to seventh. The neutralized conditions allowed him to leapfrog several competitors who had pitted earlier under green-flag conditions—including Alonso, Stroll, Russell, and Leclerc. Without the benefit of the VSC, his eventual fourth-place finish might not have materialized.

In the end, while the Briton and the Maranello could take pride in the recovery drive at the 4.909-kilometre Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, the weekend also served as a reminder of the persistent qualifying issues that continue to undermine their race-day potential. Until those one-lap weaknesses are resolved, even strong performances like Lewis Hamilton’s at Imola may remain just short of the podium.