Lewis Hamilton’s debut season with Scuderia Ferrari in 2025 proved far more challenging than expected. Despite high hopes following his transfer from Mercedes, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion struggled to find consistent form, highlighting both the difficulties of adapting to Ferrari and the limitations of the SF-25 car.
The season began with optimism after Lewis Hamilton secured a win in the Sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix. However, this victory would turn out to be the only highlight for both Hamilton and Ferrari in 2025. The team finished fourth in the constructors’ standings, unable to challenge the dominant top three teams, while Charles Leclerc managed to extract seven podiums from the underperforming SF-25, demonstrating his superior adaptability and consistency.
For Lewis Hamilton, the 2025 season marked an unprecedented low: the 40-year-old went an entire year without standing on a Grand Prix podium for the first time in his illustrious career. Ferrari mechanics admitted that celebrations were scarce throughout the season, emphasizing the overall disappointment. Lewis Hamilton struggled with a combination of operational errors, insufficient upgrade packages, and ongoing communication issues with race engineer Riccardo Adami.
While Ferrari’s shortcomings played a role, Lewis Hamilton’s personal performance was also under scrutiny. He scored just 156 points over the season, and former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher suggested the team might need to reconsider Lewis Hamilton’s role if improvements are not made. The intra-team comparison to Charles Leclerc was particularly stark, with the Briton losing the head-to-head battle 19-5 in 2025.
Qualifying woes dominate Hamilton’s struggles
One of the most pressing areas for improvement for Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari in 2026 is qualifying performance. In the era of ground effect cars, Lewis Hamilton has shown vulnerability over a single lap, culminating in three consecutive Q1 eliminations toward the end of the season. This was especially evident in his performance against Charles Leclerc, with the Monegasque outqualifying Hamilton 14-2 following the Belgian Grand Prix. Karun Chandhok noted that this result highlights the significant gap Hamilton needs to close before the 2026 season.
Chandhok explained that while there were moments after the summer break where Lewis Hamilton appeared to regain competitive pace, these improvements were inconsistent. From the Sprint qualifying in Belgium onward, Charles Leclerc consistently outperformed his Maranello teammate, cementing the urgent need for the Briton to reassess his approach to qualifying in the coming season.
Ferrari must act on Hamilton’s feedback to close performance gaps
F1 analyst Ted Kravitz emphasized that the primary area Lewis Hamilton needs to focus on in 2026 is qualifying, while Ferrari must ensure the team listens to his feedback regarding car development. Hamilton reportedly felt overlooked in upgrade decisions and in sharing private technical documents that could have improved the car’s competitiveness. Kravitz highlighted that Ferrari possesses all the resources necessary to contend for championships, but proper implementation of Lewis Hamilton’s advice is crucial to realizing that potential.
In Ted Kravitz’s assessment, if qualifying performance issues persist, Lewis Hamilton may find himself merely completing his contract rather than contending for wins. The challenge lies in whether Ferrari can address both the car’s setup for the new ground effect regulations and Lewis Hamilton’s specific input to restore his single-lap pace. For 2026, the pressure is on Lewis Hamilton to deliver and for Ferrari to fully capitalize on the expertise of one of Formula 1’s most accomplished drivers.
In conclusion, Lewis Hamilton enters the 2026 season with Ferrari facing a make-or-break year. While Charles Leclerc continues to demonstrate strong results and consistency, Hamilton’s ability to adapt, improve his qualifying performance, and effectively collaborate with the Ferrari technical team will be pivotal if the Scuderia hopes to compete at the front once again.
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