Lewis Hamilton’s struggles began in 2022: new F1 era sees him outpaced by teammates. Lewis Hamilton continues to struggle under F1's new regulations.

It’s partly the car, but not only that
Lewis Hamilton’s season with Ferrari is—plainly—falling well short of expectations. The seven-time world champion, welcomed with enthusiasm and hope by the fans, has so far shone only in the Sprint race in China, which he won deservedly. But that has truly been his only standout moment: his sixth-place finish in Canada, one of his favorite tracks, also marked a negative record for the Briton, who had never before started a season without a podium in the first 10 GPs of the year.

Of course, part of the responsibility for these results lies with the SF-25, which has proven to be far from the level of competitiveness hoped for during the pre-season winter months. But Lewis Hamilton is clearly struggling, results in hand, in comparison with his teammate Charles Leclerc. It’s certainly not easy for a new driver to match the level of someone who has been with the team longer, but Hamilton’s performance in 2025 is on par with what he showed at Mercedes against George Russell, back when he was the veteran of the team.

Lewis Hamilton’s situation after 10 GPs
Since the introduction of the new regulations in 2022, Lewis Hamilton has, after 10 GPs (and also by season’s end), almost always scored fewer points than his teammate. The only exception was 2023, a season in which George Russell made several mistakes and was also plagued by technical issues. Apart from that year, after 10 races the British driver has always been trailing his garage mate by double digits and has never placed higher than sixth in the standings.

Worsening qualifying form
The impression is that—regardless of the competitiveness of the cars he’s driven—Lewis Hamilton has never really adapted to this new technical regulation compared to previous seasons. Moreover, there is a possibility that, as time goes on, the British champion is losing some of the speed that once defined him over a single lap. In fact, season after season, his head-to-head performances in qualifying have steadily declined, taking away what was long one of his key strengths.

It should also be noted that—perhaps thanks to Charles Leclerc’s performance—this season is turning out worse than usual for #44. Never before after 10 races had the Briton fallen so far behind his teammate. Naturally, these figures alone don’t tell the whole story, but a negative trend in Hamilton’s results is undeniable. If both he and Leclerc were to maintain this pace throughout the season, the gap between them could reach around 60 points by the end—an abyss.

Perhaps Lewis Hamilton’s intention to take charge of the team and reshape its internal dynamics ahead of 2026 and the arrival of the new technical regulations can also be interpreted in this light. That change will likely represent the final turning point in the legendary Briton’s career to make a last push for an eighth world championship.