Lewis Hamilton’s main struggle at Ferrari identified – and it’s not what he thought. Lewis Hamilton faces his longest podium drought since joining Ferrari.

Lewis Hamilton is currently enduring the longest podium drought of his entire Formula 1 career, having now gone 13 consecutive Grands Prix without finishing in the top three, a streak that dates back to the final races of his last season with Mercedes. Although the Briton secured victories in non-championship events such as the China Sprint race and achieved a third-place finish in the Miami Sprint race, it is important to note that these sprint race results do not count towards official Formula 1 podium records. As a result, Lewis Hamilton remains eagerly awaiting a milestone podium finish while driving for his new team, the legendary Italian outfit Scuderia Ferrari.

The 40-year-old British driver put together a relatively solid weekend during the recent Austrian Grand Prix, held at the Red Bull Ring circuit in Spielberg, Austria. Finishing in fourth place represented his highest race result of the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship season so far. During the race, Lewis Hamilton successfully maintained that fourth position by defending vigorously against his former Mercedes teammate, the highly skilled British driver George Russell, especially in the opening stages of the race. After that intense defensive battle, Hamilton settled into a somewhat isolated fourth place, completing the race without being able to mount a further challenge for a podium finish. Meanwhile, Ferrari’s other driver, the talented Monegasque Charles Leclerc, demonstrated strong pace and consistency by securing his fourth podium finish of the season in the second Ferrari SF-25 car.

The contrasting performances between Charles Leclerc, who has been consistently finishing on the podium this year, and Lewis Hamilton, who has experienced several near misses, have generated growing confidence among the Scuderia Ferrari team, its supporters, and the broader Formula 1 fanbase that a podium finish for Lewis Hamilton is imminent. Many within the sport view the upcoming British Grand Prix at Silverstone as the ideal opportunity for Lewis Hamilton to break his podium drought and secure a top-three finish in front of his passionate home crowd.

Following the Austrian Grand Prix, Ferrari’s deputy team principal Jerome D’Ambrosio spoke to Sky Sports and expressed praise for Lewis Hamilton’s recent qualifying performances. D’Ambrosio pointed out that although the Briton was marginally less than a tenth of a second slower than Charles Leclerc during the Austrian qualifying session, Lewis had actually outqualified his teammate at the two preceding Grands Prix, highlighting his impressive qualifying form. Lewis Hamilton is currently enjoying his longest streak of consecutive top-five qualifying results, having achieved this feat in four straight races—his best run since a similar five-race streak between the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona and the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps last year. Given that Hamilton himself had admitted back in November 2024 that he felt he was “not fast anymore,” many observers anticipated that he might struggle to perform at his best over a single flying lap during the 2025 season. Nevertheless, Jerome D’Ambrosio believes that Lewis Hamilton has “everything under control” when it comes to qualifying sessions on Saturdays, suggesting that the British driver remains highly capable in delivering strong single-lap pace.

While Hamilton’s qualifying form has been commendable, Jerome D’Ambrosio acknowledged that a number of mitigating circumstances have hampered Hamilton’s race-day performances. For example, Hamilton suffered floor damage to his Ferrari SF-25 during the Canadian Grand Prix, which impacted his race pace and overall result. According to D’Ambrosio, Lewis Hamilton’s principal challenge this season lies in maintaining consistent race pace throughout Grand Prix events. Despite his vast experience and undeniable talent, Lewis Hamilton currently trails Charles Leclerc in the 2025 race head-to-head comparisons, with Leclerc leading nine wins to Hamilton’s one, underscoring the gap the Briton needs to bridge in terms of race performance.

Jerome D’Ambrosio explained that internally within the Ferrari team, there is a recognition that while Lewis Hamilton’s qualifying form has been strong and consistent over the past three races, his race performances have not matched that level of competitiveness. D’Ambrosio cited several specific incidents that affected Hamilton’s race results, including a mechanical problem during the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona and an unusual event at the Canadian Grand Prix where Hamilton inadvertently ran over a marmot on lap 14, which may have disrupted his rhythm. Nevertheless, D’Ambrosio described Hamilton’s race in Austria as strong and competitive, with both Ferrari drivers maintaining similar pace throughout the event.

In the immediate aftermath of the Austrian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton communicated candidly over the team radio with his race engineer Riccardo Adami. He admitted that he “did not really have the pace” during the race and acknowledged that he needed to “figure that out,” indicating his own awareness of the challenges he faces. This honest assessment from Hamilton aligns closely with Jerome D’Ambrosio’s evaluation of the situation, reinforcing the notion that race pace consistency remains an area for improvement.

Currently, Lewis Hamilton is positioned sixth in the 2025 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship standings, having contributed 91 points out of Ferrari’s overall 210 points—accounting for approximately 43.3% of the team’s total haul. Although Hamilton’s form has recently stabilized after a somewhat inconsistent and occasionally alarming start to the season, his overall performance remains below the high expectations that both he and the Ferrari team initially set for this campaign.

Lewis Hamilton’s decision to move to Scuderia Ferrari was largely driven by his ambition to win a record-breaking eighth World Drivers’ Championship title, further cementing his status as one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all time. However, it has become increasingly evident that the 2025 championship is out of reach, with Ferrari already shifting much of their focus and resources toward the major regulation changes set to take effect in 2026, which many hope will provide the team with a fresh opportunity to compete for titles.

Adding to the ongoing discussion about Hamilton’s prospects at Ferrari, former Formula 1 chief executive and sport legend Bernie Ecclestone has publicly expressed doubts about Lewis Hamilton’s ability to secure another world championship with the Italian team. Bernie Ecclestone believes that Ferrari’s current management structure, characterized by multiple influential figures and a lack of a singular, authoritative leader, creates challenges for the team. According to Bernie Ecclestone, the presence of too many decision-makers without a clear, dominant leader at Ferrari may hinder Lewis Hamilton’s chances of delivering an eighth world championship title for the Scuderia.