Ferrari’s 2025 season exposes why replacing Carlos Sainz with Lewis Hamilton has backfired
When Ferrari confirmed the blockbuster signing of Lewis Hamilton for the 2025 Formula 1 season, the expectation inside Maranello was that the seven-time world champion would spark a new era of success. Instead, the partnership has spiralled into what Lewis Hamilton himself described as a nightmare, with the British driver experiencing one of the most difficult campaigns of his career.
The Briton has yet to secure a single podium in red, leaving him on the brink of finishing a season winless for only the third time since his debut in 2007. What was meant to be a fresh, motivating chapter at Ferrari has turned into a frustrating decline. Reports from inside the team suggest Lewis Hamilton has struggled to fully adapt to the SF-25’s demanding characteristics and to Ferrari’s internal structure, which operates very differently from what he was accustomed to at Mercedes.
It emerged that Hamilton began sending detailed technical documents to Ferrari outlining areas where he believed performance could be improved, but the proposals were not implemented. Team principal Frédéric Vasseur was said to have dismissed Hamilton’s upgrade suggestions, preferring to continue with Ferrari’s existing development programme.
The situation is made worse by the team’s inconsistency. Ferrari currently sits fourth in the Constructors’ Championship, hindered by operational mistakes and a development path that has not delivered the expected progress. Senior figures at Ferrari, including John Elkann, have expressed internal frustration after the Brazilian Grand Prix, indicating that both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc share responsibility for the disappointing season.
The seven-time Formula 1 world champion has struggled to settle into the Ferrari environment, and the learning curve after leaving Mercedes has been steeper than anyone anticipated. This has reignited debate within the paddock about whether Ferrari made the right decision in parting ways with Carlos Sainz, who joined Williams for 2025.
Carlos Sainz’s consistency shows why he may have been the better Ferrari driver for 2025
Former world champion Jacques Villeneuve pointed out a recurring pattern in Carlos Sainz’s career: wherever the Spaniard races, the team tends to improve, and when he leaves, performance often declines. That trend has been impossible to ignore this year.
Carlos Sainz has played a key role in elevating Williams into the top five of the championship standings, while Ferrari has slipped behind both Red Bull and Mercedes — a dramatic reversal of expectations. Several Ferrari employees have privately expressed regret about losing the Spanish driver, recognising that his stability and technical understanding would have been invaluable.
Motorsport journalist Ben Anderson explained on The Race F1 Podcast that Sainz would have handled the SF-25’s weaknesses more effectively due to his familiarity with the team, the car philosophy, and his experience driving difficult Ferraris in previous seasons. Anderson noted that Sainz would have benefited from what he described as “the advantage of incumbency”, allowing him to extract better results during a challenging year.
Lewis Hamilton, by contrast, has attempted to translate his Mercedes driving style directly into the SF-25, which relies on a completely different aerodynamic balance and requires a more adaptable approach. This has forced him into a season-long game of catch-up as he tries to understand the nuances of Ferrari’s unpredictable car.
Sainz, who has proven his ability to perform strongly even when Ferrari produced uncompetitive machinery, also maintained a closer performance level to Charles Leclerc whenever the car was outside its operating window. Additionally, Sainz and Leclerc typically agreed on development direction during their time as teammates, whereas Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc reportedly disagree on the areas Ferrari must prioritize to rescue their 2025 campaign.
Anderson emphasized that even with Carlos Sainz, Ferrari’s season would not have transformed into a championship fight due to the SF-25’s flawed development path. However, he believed Sainz’s continuity would have delivered a more stable foundation and likely produced better results than the team is currently achieving with Hamilton adapting from scratch.
Could Carlos Sainz return to Ferrari in the future?
With Ferrari enduring one of its most underwhelming seasons in years, speculation about future driver changes has intensified. Lewis Hamilton’s contract expires at the end of next year, and despite having an option for 2027, Ferrari is reportedly not rushing to activate it. Charles Leclerc is also evaluating his long-term future, increasingly frustrated by the lack of progress and a car that continues to underperform.
Carlos Sainz’s name has repeatedly resurfaced as a potential option for Ferrari should they choose to rebuild their line-up. Team principal Frédéric Vasseur privately suggested that the “door wasn’t closed” on a possible return, acknowledging Carlos Sainz’s three wins across four seasons before his departure was confirmed in early 2024.
Sources close to the driver indicated that the Spaniard would be willing to return to Ferrari “without hesitation” if the opportunity arose. Given Hamilton’s challenging adaptation, Charles Leclerc’s uncertainty about the team’s direction, and Carlos Sainz’s proven record of extracting performance from difficult Ferraris, bringing the Spaniard back might become an increasingly realistic scenario for the Scuderia’s long-term ambitions.
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