The private frustration Lewis Hamilton faced in his Ferrari debut

Lewis Hamilton privately resented one thing about being a Ferrari driver during his first season

Lewis Hamilton described his move to Ferrari as the fulfilment of a lifelong ambition when he signed his contract with the Scuderia in the winter of 2024, before officially joining the team for the 2025 Formula 1 season. For Lewis Hamilton, wearing red represented the realisation of a dream that had existed long before he reached the pinnacle of motorsport.

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur, who worked closely with Lewis Hamilton during his junior career, has explained that racing for Ferrari was something Lewis Hamilton spoke about even before his Formula 1 debut. However, while the emotional significance of the move was undeniable, the sporting reality of Lewis Hamilton’s first Ferrari season proved far more challenging than anticipated.

The 2025 campaign marked a historic low point in Lewis Hamilton’s Formula 1 career. Across his first 18 full seasons in the sport, Lewis Hamilton had achieved at least five podium finishes every year. That remarkable streak came to an abrupt end at Ferrari, as he failed to score a single top-three finish throughout the entire season.

In the process, the seven-time F1 world champion also set an unwanted record in Ferrari’s long and illustrious history. He became the driver with the most race starts for the Scuderia without standing on the podium, making 24 appearances without a top-three result. The previous record-holder was Louis Rosier, who competed in 15 races for Ferrari during the 1950s.

Lewis Hamilton’s frustration with Ferrari’s race strategy culture

One of the defining storylines of Lewis Hamilton’s first season at Ferrari was his complicated working relationship with race engineer Riccardo Adami. Although Lewis Hamilton publicly dismissed suggestions of tension and insisted that talk of a rift was exaggerated, Ferrari’s decision to reassign Riccardo Adami away from trackside duties at the end of the season told a different story. Adami has since been moved into a role within Ferrari’s driver academy, indicating that the partnership never fully clicked.

The contrast with Lewis Hamilton’s previous setup at Mercedes was stark. During his 12-season partnership with Peter Bonnington, Lewis Hamilton developed what Italian media, including Gazzetta dello Sport, described as a deeply symbiotic relationship. Together, they secured six world championships and became one of the most successful driver–engineer pairings in Formula 1 history.

At Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton reportedly felt increasingly frustrated by his limited influence over race strategy decisions. He was accustomed to playing an active role in shaping strategic calls during a grand prix, particularly in rapidly changing conditions. When Lewis Hamilton sought clarification on why his input carried less weight, he was informed that Ferrari followed established internal procedures and that this was simply how the team operated.

This rigid approach has long been associated with Ferrari and has tested the patience of several high-profile drivers over the years. Charles Leclerc has openly questioned Ferrari’s in-race strategy on multiple occasions, while Sebastian Vettel also expressed frustration with decision-making processes during his time with the Scuderia. Lewis Hamilton’s experience in 2025 appeared to fit into that wider pattern.

Ferrari finalise Lewis Hamilton’s new race engineer

In response to the difficulties of Lewis Hamilton’s first season, Ferrari have already taken steps to reshape his engineering support structure. The team is expected to appoint Cédric Michel-Grosjean as the Briton’s new race engineer. Michel-Grosjean previously worked within Oscar Piastri’s engineering group at McLaren and arrives with experience from a championship-winning environment.

During Ferrari’s recent Montmelo shakedown, Lewis Hamilton worked with an interim race engineer, a situation that raised questions among observers, including Sky Sports analyst Karun Chandhok. The temporary arrangement is believed to be linked to Michel-Grosjean completing a period of gardening leave following his departure from McLaren.

Ferrari are taking a calculated risk with the appointment, as Cédric Michel-Grosjean has not previously served as a primary race engineer in Formula 1. However, his background within a highly competitive and successful team structure could offer Lewis Hamilton a fresh perspective. After a difficult debut season, the Briton may view this reset as an opportunity to rebuild confidence and establish a working relationship better suited to his approach.

With Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc forming one of the most high-profile driver pairings on the grid, Ferrari will be under intense scrutiny in the seasons ahead. Whether the changes behind the scenes can translate into improved results on track remains one of the key questions surrounding Ferrari’s future.