Lewis Hamilton Endures His Worst Weekend Yet With Ferrari as Pressure Mounts Over Future
The 2025 Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix marked arguably the lowest point of Lewis Hamilton’s short but turbulent tenure with Scuderia Ferrari, as the seven-time World Champion endured a weekend filled with frustration, disappointment, and growing doubts about his future with the Maranello-based team.
At the start of the season, Lewis Hamilton had expressed renewed enthusiasm for his fresh challenge at Ferrari. Leaving behind an emotionally draining final stint with Mercedes, he saw the move as an opportunity to rediscover his passion for racing. However, the reality of the transition has fallen far short of expectations. The British driver now finds himself in a situation that strongly echoes the struggles of his final season with Mercedes in 2024, which ended as the worst championship campaign of his illustrious Formula 1 career.
More than halfway through the 2025 season, Lewis Hamilton has yet to stand on the podium in a Grand Prix race driving the Ferrari SF-25, with only Sprint races offering a small glimmer of hope. He currently sits sixth in the Drivers’ Championship, having accumulated 109 points—far below what many expected from a driver of his calibre. While Ferrari has introduced technical updates to the SF-25, including long-awaited modifications to the rear suspension, these changes have done little to boost Hamilton’s performance. The British driver was eliminated in Q1 at Spa-Francorchamps, a particularly painful setback, though he managed a modest recovery to seventh place on race day. In contrast, his teammate Charles Leclerc appeared to extract the most from the upgrades immediately, going on to secure an impressive third-place finish.
The events at the Hungaroring only deepened the sense of crisis. While Charles Leclerc secured Ferrari’s first pole position of the 2025 season, Hamilton’s qualifying session ended prematurely in Q2, sparking visible frustration. After qualifying, the 40-year-old was reportedly so dejected that he even suggested, in a moment of exasperation, that Ferrari should consider replacing him in the car.
On Sunday, Hamilton’s fortunes failed to improve. He crossed the finish line in 12th place, precisely where he had started the race—failing to gain a single position. This result saw him equal the worst Hungarian Grand Prix finish ever recorded by a four-time World Champion, matching Alain Prost’s result from the 1993 season.
Former World Champion Jacques Villeneuve weighed in on Hamilton’s ongoing struggles at Ferrari, suggesting that the British driver is only now beginning to understand the magnitude of the cultural and operational differences between his former team and his current one. Having spent his entire Formula 1 career working with Mercedes-powered teams and within Anglo-German engineering systems, Hamilton is reportedly finding the transition to Ferrari’s more complex internal environment particularly difficult. According to Villeneuve, the difference in communication style, strategy decisions, and operational execution at Ferrari has likely contributed to Hamilton’s ongoing adaptation issues.
Villeneuve also noted that Lewis Hamilton appeared visibly demoralized—something rarely seen throughout his decorated career. The 1997 World Champion believes that the upcoming 2026 regulation changes will serve as a crucial reset for Hamilton, particularly because the current SF-25 was never designed with his driving style in mind. In Villeneuve’s opinion, the real comparison between the Briton and the Monegasque will take place in 2026, once a new technical cycle begins. Still, he acknowledged that the first phase of Hamilton’s journey with Ferrari has fallen well short of expectations, especially given the fanfare and hope that surrounded his blockbuster move to the Italian team.
With Ferrari now facing increasing pressure from Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship—just 24 points separate the two teams—there is mounting concern within Maranello about the second half of the season. Ferrari’s management had hoped Hamilton’s arrival would inject fresh energy and consistency into their campaign. However, the opposite appears to be unfolding.
As the Formula 1 paddock heads into the summer break, speculation surrounding Lewis Hamilton’s future is only intensifying. Former F1 team boss and paddock insider Bernie Ecclestone has floated the idea that Ferrari could consider replacing Hamilton with young talent Isack Hadjar if things continue to unravel. Meanwhile, Sky Sports pundit Damon Hill expressed concern about Hamilton’s visible frustration in Hungary, suggesting that the challenges will only grow more difficult with time. Analyst Martin Brundle also raised questions about whether Hamilton would actually see out his contract, which is due to expire at the end of the 2026 season—though it includes an option for an additional year.
Despite these swirling doubts, Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has voiced optimism about Hamilton’s prospects for a comeback in the second half of the 2025 campaign. Domenicali believes the British driver still possesses the talent and mental strength to turn things around. F1 journalist Peter Windsor echoed this sentiment, stressing that Hamilton must now enter a period of intense focus and determination if he hopes to re-establish himself as a contender.
Nevertheless, Lewis Hamilton’s radio apology to the team following the Hungarian Grand Prix—where he admitted to costing Ferrari valuable points—underscored the gravity of the situation. Once seen as a symbol of Ferrari’s renewed title ambitions, Hamilton is now under increasing scrutiny, not just from fans and media, but also from within the Scuderia itself.
Unless the 2026 regulations offer a dramatic shift in Ferrari’s competitiveness and a car better suited to Hamilton’s needs, there is a growing sense that his time with the legendary Italian team could be shorter than originally anticipated. The coming races will be crucial—not just for Ferrari’s battle with Mercedes, but for Lewis Hamilton’s hopes of achieving a fairytale ending to one of the greatest careers in Formula 1 history.
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