Lewis Hamilton’s decline mirrors Michael Schumacher’s, Charles Leclerc now Ferrari’s cornerstone. Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari is taking his final steps in F1.

Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari is taking his final steps in F1, but the comparison with Charles Leclerc is putting him in considerable difficulty.

The first part of this season is not going in the best way for Ferrari. All F1 teams will face major changes in 2026, but Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are not ending this technical era in the best possible way. The cause is undoubtedly an underperforming Ferrari, but in the British driver’s case, there’s something more.

Speaking on the matter was Johnny Herbert, former F1 driver. The Briton commented on the struggles of his compatriot, who had started his adventure with the Maranello team with great enthusiasm. However, this post-Mercedes challenge is not proving to be a success at the moment, and according to the former driver, the problem lies precisely in Lewis, who seems to have lost the winning edge that defined him during his glory years.

“It really seems like Lewis Hamilton is lost, truly lost. I don’t know if the raw pace he’s always had throughout his career is still there.” A non-competitive Ferrari doesn’t help, but what Herbert believed was that Hamilton would be able to lift the Scuderia out of these difficulties.

The Briton compared this situation to that of the other seven-time World Champion, Michael Schumacher. “It also happened with Michael—when he came back, he was no longer the same Schumacher as before. You’ll always have a peak and a decline, and it’s not nice to see. Lewis hasn’t found his comfort zone again since the close-fought win in China.”

Lewis Hamilton and the struggles amplified by Charles Leclerc
What was feared during the winter was that being paired with a seven-time World Champion might cause problems for Charles Leclerc, but the opposite is proving true. “I know Charles Leclerc isn’t happy with the car either, but at least he regularly gets on the podium,” Herbert explained. The Briton added: “Leclerc will continue to grow and has control over Ferrari’s future. He’s the man they can count on—at this point, Maranello can’t count on Lewis Hamilton.”

The former driver nevertheless emphasized that at the root of these struggles is a team that isn’t as competitive as it should be; it doesn’t help that car #44’s relationship with his race engineer is still struggling to reach proper synergy. “There have been a couple of wrong strategy calls from Ferrari and poor radio communication. Hamilton doesn’t have the synergy he needs with his engineer.”