Lewis Hamilton is pushing hard to find performance gains at Ferrari amid the longest podium drought of his Formula 1 career. The British driver arrived at Maranello over the winter with high hopes of a fresh start after leaving Mercedes, but so far, tangible success has been limited.
His sprint race win at the second round in China stands out as an isolated highlight, while he has consistently struggled to extract the best from the SF25 throughout the season.
Meanwhile, Ferrari’s recent upgrade packages appear to be yielding stronger results on one side of the garage. Charles Leclerc has impressively secured four podium finishes in his last six races, signaling positive momentum for the team.
During the rain delay at the Belgian Grand Prix, Ferrari made a subtle but intriguing modification to Hamilton’s car by changing the grip on his steering wheel. This adjustment may have contributed to his remarkable charge through the field in the race.
Although Hamilton earned only six points from his efforts at Spa, the team reportedly praised him for displaying something ‘not normal’ in terms of driving skill, affirming that the seven-time world champion still possesses his signature sharp edge.
Lewis Hamilton Now Able to Tap into ‘Very Impressive’ F1 Strength at Ferrari After Car Modification
Charles Leclerc has expressed satisfaction with Hamilton’s recent comments regarding his performances, reinforcing his status as Ferrari’s lead driver for now. However, the Monegasque admitted to feeling a bit envious of Hamilton in a specific technical area—braking—where Hamilton’s expertise has always been exceptional.
Charles Leclerc acknowledged that while many aspects of Hamilton’s driving were expected, he was nonetheless surprised by how late and effectively Hamilton brakes, describing it as “very, very, very impressive,” according to GPBlog.
Now, Lewis Hamilton is positioned to further showcase this braking prowess after Ferrari made a key change to his car during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend. The Italian edition of Motorsport.com reported that Ferrari and the British driver switched the type of Brembo brake pads used, representing a crucial piece in solving the complex ‘puzzle’ of optimizing his SF25 setup. This adjustment forms part of Lewis Hamilton’s ongoing season-long search for competitive improvements.
Why Ferrari Could Gain Strength in the Second Half of the 2025 Formula 1 campaign
While Ferrari has focused heavily on developing meaningful upgrades for the SF25 recently, their closest rivals have introduced comparatively fewer advancements on track. This suggests Ferrari may have shifted some of their attention toward preparing the 2026 car and are currently relying on the current package to battle through the remainder of this season.
So far, the Maranello team has not fully capitalized on their recent technical gains, but the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix—the final race before the summer break—could serve as a prime opportunity to demonstrate progress.
Although overtaking both McLaren drivers might be ambitious, getting one SF-25 car ahead of the Papaya team is within reach. Given the trajectory, it could only be a matter of time before Ferrari finally secures their first victory of the 2025 campaign.
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