Lewis Hamilton joined Scuderia Ferrari at the start of the 2025 season with the firm belief that the legendary Maranello-based team was on the verge of returning to its former championship-winning ways. The British driver, whose name is synonymous with modern Formula 1 success, would not have made the bold decision to leave the Mercedes — a team he had spent 12 consecutive seasons with and achieved immense success — without being confident in Ferrari’s direction and long-term potential.
However, since officially starting work with Scuderia Ferrari in January, Lewis Hamilton has quickly come to understand the true magnitude of the task he has undertaken. Despite remaining in second place in the 2025 FIA Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship standings — the exact same finishing position they held at the conclusion of the 2024 season — the Maranello team’s deficit to key rivals has grown alarmingly. What was initially a modest 14-point gap to McLaren has now ballooned into a staggering 207-point shortfall. With the current season’s title ambitions slipping further out of reach, Ferrari now appears poised to redirect its focus and development resources toward the sweeping new technical regulations that will come into effect in the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Mercedes, which has also struggled to consistently challenge at the front, will likely adopt a similar approach in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, Red Bull Racing must soon decide whether to continue supporting Max Verstappen’s increasingly unlikely bid for a fourth consecutive World Drivers’ Championship title or begin shifting development toward the 2026 car. Even the McLaren Formula 1 Team, which currently enjoys a substantial performance advantage and has regularly outpaced its competitors since their major upgrade earlier this season, may soon reduce current-season development in preparation for the upcoming regulation overhaul. As seen in previous rule cycles, Formula 1 teams that fall behind early in a season often find it extremely difficult to recover under the current cost cap and wind tunnel testing restrictions. Ferrari, in particular, has experienced this challenge firsthand and is acutely aware of the long-term consequences of a slow start.
There is a realistic possibility that Lewis Hamilton may succeed in transforming Ferrari into a title-contending team once again — but could ultimately decide to step away from Formula 1 before reaping the direct rewards of that transformation. The British driver, who made his Formula 1 debut in 2007, signed an initial two-year contract with Scuderia Ferrari, though there are widespread reports that the deal contains an option for a third season. While Aston Martin Aramco driver Fernando Alonso has committed to racing in Formula 1 until the age of 45, there is strong speculation that Lewis Hamilton’s current deal with Ferrari could very well be the final contract of his long and decorated career in Grand Prix racing.
Since joining the team, Lewis Hamilton has taken proactive steps to drive change within the Maranello organization. The British driver has consistently emphasized the importance of raising operational standards across all departments — from engineering to pit strategy — in order to bring Ferrari back to the top. Following qualifying at the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Lewis Hamilton told Sky Sports F1 that the Scuderia had set a new “world-class” benchmark in terms of execution and teamwork during that weekend — an encouraging signal that internal progress is taking place, even if it is not yet fully reflected in race results.
However, the road to returning Ferrari to championship-winning form is a long and complex one. Despite the improvements, strategic errors continue to cost the team valuable points. Both Lewis Hamilton and his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc have voiced their dissatisfaction with the team’s race-day decision-making during recent Grands Prix, often through frustrated radio messages broadcast during live coverage. One notable incident occurred at the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix, where Lewis Hamilton received a grid penalty that was the result of a miscommunication between him and his race engineer during qualifying. These episodes underscore the operational inconsistencies that Ferrari still needs to eliminate if they are to become serious championship contenders once again.
Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur now finds himself with a unique and valuable asset — the most successful driver in the history of Formula 1 — and the opportunity to leverage Lewis Hamilton’s unmatched experience, feedback, and championship-winning mindset to help elevate the team’s internal processes and culture. Yet, as Sky Sports F1 journalist and pit-lane reporter Ted Kravitz warned during a recent episode of The F1 Show, there is a genuine risk that Lewis Hamilton may not be around long enough to witness the full impact of the improvements he is currently helping to implement behind the scenes.
Ted Kravitz speculated that Lewis Hamilton might eventually find himself in a situation — potentially at age 41, 42, or even 43 — where he has played a central role in guiding Ferrari back to the top of the sport, only to step away from the cockpit just before the team reaps the full benefits of his efforts. According to Ted Kravitz, Lewis Hamilton’s greatest legacy with the Maranelloi might not be defined by championship trophies or personal race victories, but rather by laying the structural and cultural foundations that allow Ferrari to become a title-winning team once again. In such a scenario, the Briton’s impact would be felt long after he has retired — a lasting contribution to the team’s future success.
While long-term planning continues behind closed doors, Ferrari also faces a more immediate challenge regarding their car philosophy and driver preferences. Over the course of the first 11 races of the 2025 Formula 1 season, Lewis Hamilton has made several observations about the driving style of Charles Leclerc, noting in particular that the Monegasque driver tends to favor a setup with significant rear-end oversteer. This insight has added further clarity to the key differences between the two drivers’ styles and may force Ferrari’s technical team to make difficult decisions as they continue development.
Frédéric Vasseur may ultimately have to decide whether to tailor the SF-25 and its successor more closely to the preferences of Charles Leclerc — who has been with Ferrari since the 2019 season and is currently the team’s most consistent performer — or adapt the car to better suit Lewis Hamilton’s smoother, more balanced driving approach. In reality, a compromise setup is likely, but certain fundamental characteristics — such as oversteer balance and mid-corner rotation — may already be baked into the car’s aerodynamic and suspension philosophy due to years of input from Charles Leclerc and previous development cycles.
Statistically, Charles Leclerc has had the upper hand for much of the season, having outperformed Lewis Hamilton in 18 of the 24 competitive sessions held so far in 2025. However, former Mercedes-Benz Motorsport Strategy Director and current Williams Racing Team Principal James Vowles has offered a more optimistic take on Hamilton’s progress. According to James Vowles, Lewis Hamilton is “getting better and better” with each race and adaptation to the SF-25, and he remains convinced that “there’s still life in him yet” — a testament to Lewis Hamilton’s enduring skill, resilience, and hunger for success even in the later stages of his remarkable Formula 1 career.
As the 2025 Formula 1 season continues, and with an eye firmly on the future, the question now is whether Lewis Hamilton will still be competing in Formula 1 when Ferrari finally returns to championship-winning form — or whether his ultimate contribution will be remembered as laying the foundation for others to finish the job he began.
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