Nico Rosberg, former F1 driver, has identified a recurring theme between Lewis Hamilton’s past season and the current one: difficulties in beating his teammate — first George Russell, now Charles Leclerc.
Nico Rosberg, 2016 F1 World Champion and current Sky Sports F1 pundit, has commented on this tough period for Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari. A script that repeats itself: a lack of connection with the car, a Hamilton still not at ease with the SF-25. Lewis Hamilton has managed to beat his teammate Charles Leclerc only twice in nine qualifying sessions, an issue that already appeared last season with George Russell.
Charles Leclerc like George Russell: Lewis Hamilton’s season
Even last year, the seven-time World Champion didn’t have an easy time against George Russell. According to Nico Rosberg, in an analysis for Sky Sports F1, Lewis Hamilton’s 2025 season with Ferrari follows the path of his 2024 season with Mercedes: “It’s been a tough start so far, a continuation of the form he had last year, which was the one time in his career that he experienced a drop in form for the entire season. George Russell beat him last year, and Charles Leclerc has now taken Russell’s place — always a bit ahead of Lewis [Hamilton], who hasn’t found his way yet.”
Rosberg, continuing his commentary on Sky Sports F1, added: “Something is missing. He’s still not connecting with the car and he’s still a bit on the defensive, but the car is unruly.”
Rosberg’s opinion
The former teammate of Lewis Hamilton and current Sky Sports F1 analyst, Nico Rosberg, also commented on the seven-time World Champion’s performance at the Spanish GP: “It’s tough to watch. Sunday was a horrible day for him because he was just slow out there, which is very unusual.”
The former World Champion knows Lewis Hamilton’s driving characteristics well and was therefore very surprised by what he saw in Spain: “Yes, sometimes he drops out in qualifying, but in the race he’s usually brilliant — and the race was incredibly bad.”
Referring to Lewis Hamilton’s post-race comments, Nico Rosberg admitted: “He doesn’t have answers either.” He then added: “When you don’t have answers, it’s really tough as a driver — then you see your teammate charging to third place on the podium. Considering the entire season he’s had so far, it’s a really dark situation.”
