Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time Formula One World Champion, achieved his strongest finish to date as a driver for Ferrari during the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. The British racing driver crossed the finish line in fourth position, directly behind his teammate Charles Leclerc, who secured a valuable podium finish by taking third place — marking his and Ferrari’s fourth top-three result of the ongoing 2025 Formula 1 World Championship season.
For Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc, the result underlined his consistency and strong form in what has been a highly competitive campaign thus far. Meanwhile, for Lewis Hamilton, the performance signaled progress in his ongoing adaptation to life at the legendary Maranello-based team. Despite still waiting to stand on the podium in Ferrari colours — something that remains a key milestone for him — Hamilton managed to equal his previous best result for the Scuderia, demonstrating incremental improvement.
However, Lewis Hamilton’s wait for a return to the podium has now extended into the longest such streak of his illustrious Formula 1 career. The British driver’s lack of outright pace at the Austrian Grand Prix was evident, as he finished nearly 29 seconds adrift of race winner Lando Norris, who delivered a commanding victory for McLaren. During the race, the Briton expressed frustration to his race engineer, Riccardo Adami, over the team radio, admitting that work needed to be done as he found himself in an awkward position — isolated between competitors — approximately 10 seconds behind his teammate Charles Leclerc and well clear of the chasing pack.
Despite this, Lewis Hamilton was able to take away several positives from the weekend in Spielberg. Scuderia Ferrari had rushed a revised aerodynamic package to the car, focusing particularly on a new floor upgrade intended to increase downforce and improve the car’s overall consistency in medium- and high-speed corners. While the update was deployed earlier than initially scheduled, it delivered measurable gains, enabling the Ferrari SF-25 to perform competitively against key rivals such as Mercedes and Oracle Red Bull Racing.
The Italian squad’s efforts to improve its aerodynamic efficiency paid off, with Ferrari temporarily leapfrogging both Mercedes and Red Bull in the competitive order — at least under the unique demands of the Red Bull Ring circuit. Hamilton’s P4 finish in qualifying — not including Sprint weekends — represented his best grid position since joining the Scuderia and suggested a growing level of comfort with the Ferrari SF-25’s handling characteristics. The qualifying performance reflected a notable step forward in terms of extracting single-lap performance from the car.
Lewis Hamilton also avoided potential race-ending drama during the Grand Prix when teenage sensation Kimi Antonelli, driving for Mercedes, made contact with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. The incident had the potential to disrupt Hamilton’s race, but the experienced Briton maintained composure and used his trademark race awareness to steer clear of trouble. His efforts allowed him to finish ahead of fellow British driver George Russell, collecting 12 crucial points in the FIA Constructors’ Championship for Scuderia Ferrari.
Beyond the statistical improvements, the Austrian Grand Prix weekend appeared to mark a turning point in the atmosphere and morale within the Ferrari camp. The team’s rapid progress, particularly in the development department, seemed to translate not only into improved performance on the track but also into a more optimistic mood among both drivers. Lewis Hamilton, who had been vocal about the car’s shortcomings earlier in the season, appeared more at ease with the machine over the course of the Austrian race weekend.
Formula 1 journalist Lawrence Barretto, speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, observed a subtle but important change in Lewis Hamilton’s demeanor. Barretto suggested that the 40-year-old veteran appeared “slightly more connected” with his car — a reflection of his growing understanding of the SF-25’s behaviour and improved communication with the Ferrari engineers. The F1 journalist noted that, while a 20-second deficit to the race winner Lando Norris is still significant, the shift in Hamilton’s body language, as well as that of Charles Leclerc, signaled a renewed sense of direction and possibly a strengthening rapport between Hamilton and the Ferrari engineering team.
According to Lawrence Barretto, Lewis Hamilton’s performance in qualifying further reinforced the idea that progress was being made. The British driver came close to securing a spot on the front row and was able to deliver a strong lap under pressure — something that had eluded him earlier in the season. Although he continued to experience challenges during the race itself, particularly related to balance and tire management, the fact that he still finished in fourth position suggested that once Hamilton finds complete comfort in the SF-25, there could be significantly more performance to unlock.
During the race weekend, Lewis Hamilton also shared an insightful comment, suggesting that although each race on the calendar is familiar to him in terms of location and layout, they now feel “new” due to the entirely different team environment, technical language, and car characteristics he is adjusting to after leaving Mercedes. In essence, Hamilton is treating each Grand Prix weekend as a fresh experience — effectively starting from zero as he continues to learn the intricacies of Ferrari’s operational methods, engineering culture, and vehicle philosophy.
Since making his much-publicised switch from Mercedes to Ferrari at the start of the 2025 Formula 1 season, Lewis Hamilton has been vocal about various issues affecting the car’s driveability. One of the key concerns raised by the British driver has been the SF-25’s persistent understeer, particularly in low-speed corners — a characteristic that has consistently clashed with his preferred car balance. Over the past several months, this trait has become a source of frustration and has limited Hamilton’s ability to fully exploit the car’s potential.
However, the recent floor upgrade introduced by Ferrari appears to have helped address some of the car’s fundamental handling limitations. By improving aerodynamic stability and shifting the car’s balance, Ferrari’s engineers have made strides toward delivering the type of front-end responsiveness that Lewis Hamilton has been asking for. While further refinement is still required, the results in Austria point to a clear and encouraging trajectory.
Although it is likely too late for Scuderia Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton to mount a meaningful challenge for the 2025 Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship or Constructors’ Championship, the team is already shifting its focus toward 2026 — the year when a new generation of power units and chassis regulations will radically alter the competitive landscape. Hamilton has been urging the Maranello-based outfit to begin planning for the next rules cycle, and recent developments suggest that Ferrari is aligning its priorities with the British driver’s long-term vision.
Despite the challenges faced during his debut season in red, optimism remains high for what Lewis Hamilton can achieve with Ferrari moving forward. Former Mercedes colleague James Vowles — now serving as Team Principal of Williams Racing — recently remarked that Hamilton continues to improve with every race weekend and remains confident in the British driver’s ability to compete at the very highest level. According to Vowles, Lewis Hamilton still possesses the physical capability, technical skill, and mental determination necessary to fight for an eighth world title — particularly if Ferrari can deliver a competitive package under the new 2026 Formula 1 technical regulations.
As the 2025 Formula 1 season enters its second half, all eyes will be on whether Lewis Hamilton can convert this incremental progress into a podium finish — and eventually, a victory — in red. The signs from Spielberg suggest that the long-awaited breakthrough might not be far off.
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