Lewis Hamilton concluded the 2025 Formula 1 season in frustrating fashion, recording his third consecutive Q1 elimination at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion will start Sunday’s race from 16th on the grid, capping a challenging debut year with Ferrari.
Saturday at Yas Marina summed up Lewis Hamilton’s first season with the Scuderia. Earlier in the day, he suffered a crash in FP3, and a few hours later, he was eliminated in the opening segment of qualifying. Despite strong pace through the first two sectors, staying within two-tenths of Oscar Piastri’s benchmark, Lewis Hamilton made a critical error at Turn 12. The mistake ended his lap and confirmed his sixth Q1 exit of 2025, including Sprint sessions, prompting him to apologize over the team radio to his race engineer Riccardo Adami.
The qualifying result further highlighted the gap between Lewis Hamilton and his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, who continues to dominate their intra-team battle. Lewis Hamilton now trails Charles Leclerc 19-5 in the Grand Prix qualifying head-to-head, a margin reminiscent of his struggles against George Russell in the previous season.
Nico Rosberg: Hamilton faces a career dilemma at Ferrari
Speaking before Abu Dhabi qualifying, former F1 world champion Nico Rosberg commented on Lewis Hamilton’s difficulties at Ferrari, suggesting that the Briton’s current struggles were impacting his legacy. While some pundits have speculated that Lewis Hamilton might consider retirement, Nico Rosberg argued that walking away just one year into a three-year Ferrari contract would represent a loss of face.
Rosberg emphasized that continuing at Ferrari will not necessarily get easier, citing the combination of age, pressure, and a challenging car. He noted that while Lewis Hamilton is undeniably one of the greatest drivers in F1 history, the situation at Ferrari is far from an ideal conclusion to his career. Nico Rosberg explained that Lewis Hamilton is effectively “stuck,” with retirement not a viable option and time working against him.
Reflecting on Lewis Hamilton’s FP3 crash at Abu Dhabi, Nico Rosberg described it as highly uncharacteristic of the Briton. He stated that in his entire time as Hamilton’s teammate at Mercedes, he had never witnessed a spin of that magnitude on his own, highlighting the difficulties the Briton has faced in adapting to the SF-25.
A final hope for Lewis Hamilton in 2026
Despite a difficult 2025, there remains a glimmer of optimism for Hamilton and Ferrari as they approach 2026. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix marks the end of the current F1 regulations and the beginning of one of the sport’s most significant technical overhauls in recent history. This regulatory reset offers Lewis Hamilton the chance to adapt to a more competitive car and potentially return to the front of the grid.
Nico Rosberg noted that the new rules represent Lewis Hamilton’s “huge hope” for a fresh start, with the possibility that the 2026 Ferrari could become a winning car. If the seven-time world champion feels comfortable in the updated machinery, he could once again compete for victories and potentially add to his record-breaking career tally.
However, F1 journalist Ted Kravitz has raised concerns that Hamilton may face challenges with the 2026 ground-effect cars, based on simulator testing. Lewis Hamilton himself has described the new generation machinery as the “worst” he has driven, underscoring the adaptation work that lies ahead for both him and Ferrari.
As the 2025 season concludes, Lewis Hamilton’s Abu Dhabi qualifying struggles once again reveal the obstacles he has faced in his first year at Ferrari, while the 2026 regulation changes offer a potential path back to success.
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