Not age or Ferrari SF-25: former F1 driver identifies Lewis Hamilton’s real limitation. Giedo van der Garde explains why Lewis Hamilton is struggling in his Ferrari debut.

Charles Leclerc is fast, Lewis Lewis is not: the former driver exposes Hamilton’s real weakness after a tough start to his Ferrari adventure

“I can’t blame the car, Charles brought it to the podium,” the British champion admitted dejectedly after the Saudi Grand Prix. After five rounds, Hamilton’s Ferrari adventure is off to a rocky start: former driver Giedo van der Garde believes he’s identified the main limitation of the 40-year-old from Stevenage.

His time in red hasn’t begun the way Sir Lewis had hoped. In the early races of the season, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion has never managed—aside from the Chinese Sprint—to find the right feeling with the SF-25. The car from Maranello certainly has its limits, but the comparison with teammate Charles Leclerc clearly favors the Monegasque, who secured a podium in Jeddah finishing almost 30 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton.

The comparison with Leclerc, “a slap in the face” for Lewis Hamilton
Giedo van der Garde, a former driver with F1 experience at Caterham, spoke about the difficult period the British champion is going through. Speaking to RacingNews365, the Dutchman explained what he sees as Hamilton’s real issue at Ferrari.

“Confidence is the key factor. So far he’s taken quite a hard slap from his teammate,” van der Garde said. “When he came into F1, he was a cannon—young and full of drive—but now he’s facing a new generation. He’s also getting older and took a heavy blow when he failed to win his eighth title.”

For the 39-year-old from Rhenen, Hamilton’s real limitation isn’t Ferrari itself. The Brit, born in 1985, has been struggling for a few years now to be as fast as he once was. More precisely, Sir Lewis has struggled since the introduction of the new generation of cars, and the former Dutch driver bases his observations on that point.

Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton’s real limitation isn’t you
According to van der Garde, age isn’t the issue—Hamilton’s main struggle lies in adapting to the new cars: “Now he’s up against younger generations who understand the driving techniques for these cars better than Hamilton does. It seems to me he can’t get on top of this problem.”

“Drivers from the new generation like Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, George Russell, and Lando Norris drive differently. Their style is smoother, and they can manage a lighter rear end better,” the former F1 driver explained.

However, the Dutchman is convinced that Sir Lewis hasn’t lost his edge due to age. “I believe that if we went back to the older generation of cars from five years ago, Hamilton would still be superior. But with this type of car, he struggles more—and you can’t change your driving style overnight.”