Lewis Hamilton was fully aware that he would be joining Charles Leclerc’s Scuderia Ferrari team when he made the high-profile switch to the iconic Italian outfit. However, it seems that the seven-time Formula 1 World Champion may have underestimated just how challenging it would be to adapt to the unique characteristics of the Ferrari SF-25 and the specific driving style that the car demands.
In a recent interview, Lewis Hamilton commented on how Charles Leclerc drives with a significant degree of oversteer, a driving trait that influences the overall behavior of the car. These distinctive handling characteristics have likely been integrated into the SF-25’s design philosophy ever since the Monegasque driver joined Ferrari’s Formula 1 team in 2019. While Charles Leclerc has never been explicitly designated as the outright number one driver at Ferrari in the same way that Max Verstappen is positioned as the undisputed lead driver at Red Bull Racing, the Monegasque has nonetheless established himself as the clear team leader internally. Leclerc managed to secure his status by outperforming his predecessor Sebastian Vettel shortly after joining Ferrari, and later held a narrow performance advantage over his former teammate Carlos Sainz.
Lewis Hamilton is a driver who prefers a car with a planted and stable rear end, which has made his adaptation difficult as he has struggled with the Ferrari’s behavior on corner exits throughout the 2025 Formula 1 season. This handling characteristic is not the only aspect of the SF-25 that has drawn Lewis Hamilton’s criticism.
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc Disagree Over Ferrari’s Braking System
According to reports from Motorsport Italia, Scuderia Ferrari has scheduled a test session at the Mugello Circuit in Italy shortly after the British Grand Prix weekend. During this session, which will utilize one of Ferrari’s allotted filming days, the team intends to trial a new rear suspension component, a significant upgrade that is also planned for introduction during the Belgian Grand Prix.
Additionally, there are persistent rumors suggesting that Ferrari might take this opportunity to experiment with their braking system. Lewis Hamilton has experience working with Carbon Industrie brake materials from his time at Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, whereas Ferrari currently employs Brembo brake components. This difference in brake manufacturers and materials may be contributing to the challenges the Briton is experiencing.
Lewis Hamilton has not hesitated to openly express his dissatisfaction with the Scuderia’s braking system, calling for technical “interventions” or modifications to improve the car’s performance. However, Charles Leclerc, who appears far more comfortable with the current setup, does not believe that these brake system changes are “necessary” at this stage.
Ferrari race engineer Riccardo Adami has frequently advised Lewis Hamilton to adopt a less aggressive approach when braking into corners during the 2025 Formula 1 season. This suggests that Hamilton’s driving style may be causing him to decelerate too late or too hard, which in turn compromises his speed through the corners and ultimately affects his corner exits negatively.
Lewis Hamilton Identifies Familiar Handling Challenge Similar to His Final Years at Mercedes
Speaking on the F1 Show on Thursday, Lewis Hamilton revealed that the working window of the 2025 Ferrari SF-25 is extremely narrow. He explained that this is the same fundamental issue he struggled with during the early years of the ground-effect era while racing for Mercedes.
Over multiple seasons, Lewis Hamilton experimented extensively with car setup at Mercedes’ factory in Brackley, trying different configurations to find the optimal balance. Initially, he attempted to apply a similar approach with his new team at Scuderia Ferrari. However, he has since shifted his philosophy closer toward the setup preferences of Charles Leclerc. This strategic adjustment has led to noticeable improvements in Hamilton’s recent results. Although Lewis Hamilton is still yet to secure his first podium finish with Ferrari during the 2025 season, he has managed to consistently place within the top six positions in nine out of the last ten competitive race sessions.
Lewis Hamilton elaborated that the SF-25 has the smallest working window of any car he has driven in Formula 1. He acknowledged that Charles Leclerc, having driven the car extensively since joining the team, has developed an innate understanding of the car’s behavior and requires very few setup changes because the car is already well within the optimal performance window from the very first practice session on a race weekend.
Lewis Hamilton admitted to having tried many different setup variations, but nothing seemed effective except for aligning his approach more closely with Leclerc’s. Over the last few Grands Prix, the Briton has increasingly moved toward Leclerc’s setup preferences, which has coincided with gradual improvements in his lap times and overall race pace.
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