Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari: a troubled Formula 1 relationship that, even after twenty-one race weekends, has still failed to take off. The reasons are many, starting with the limited competitiveness of the Italian car. Others – the most important ones – concern the way the team has treated the British driver, a treatment very different from what he expected. Let us try to understand more through the insight of an old friend of his…
The early causes of a relationship that never blossomed
When a Formula 1 season does not go according to plan, teams begin to look for scapegoats. Discussions multiply around the drivers’ performances: tables, comparisons, endless analyses putting side by side things that are ultimately irrelevant. Ferrari’s 2025 season has been disastrous in terms of results. After twenty-one Grands Prix, a victory has still not arrived, and it is unlikely to come.
The car suffers from several technical problems that could not be solved. The attempts made to fix them failed miserably. This refers mainly to the development freeze introduced to try compensating for the ride-height limitations. The ground clearance, by necessity, never measured its intended values. The upgrade to the rear suspension turned out to be a complete flop. Did it widen the setup window? Yes, but only slightly.
Did it eliminate or even significantly reduce the SF-25’s ride-height weaknesses? Not in the slightest. Yet it cost almost three million euros. In the end, it simply did not work. And the most surprising part is that the team already knew what the outcome would be before producing it. Simulator studies had made it clear that the pull-rod modification would not fix the issue, yet in a desperate move they manufactured it anyway.
For these reasons, the discussion gradually shifted onto the drivers’ performances, in an attempt to find talking points that, while interesting on one hand, only highlighted how uncompetitive the Italian car really is. Lewis Hamilton naturally became central to the debate. The seven-time world champion experienced what he described as a harsh sporting awakening: he arrived in Maranello convinced he would be fighting for the world championship, and instead found himself forced to endure the SF-25’s shortcomings.
Lewis needed many things from Ferrari – but they never arrived
The Maranello team was not successful in supporting him. By the admission of the French team principal himself, Ferrari underestimated Lewis Hamilton’s adaptation process.
“Lewis is deeply British,” explains Aldo Costa, former engineering director at Mercedes, where he shared victories and titles with him in Brackley during the first phase of the hybrid-turbo era. Costa describes how Lewis requires a certain status within the team to perform at his peak: he needs to be cared for, listened to, and understood. According to Aldo Costa, this is something Ferrari is absolutely not doing. One only needs to recall John Elkann’s criticism last week.
For Lewis to give his absolute best, he must feel that the team is built around him. But that has not happened for two main reasons: on one side, Ferrari’s inability to understand the driver’s mindset and provide everything he needs; on the other, the presence of Charles Leclerc as the team’s major internal reference point has prevented the “Black King” from becoming the true center of attention, says Costa.
Charles Leclerc is extremely fast and has a very deep level of integration within the team, having spent seven seasons under the Prancing Horse banner and learning the Italian working culture inside-out. Lewis Hamilton, by contrast, has always worked in the United Kingdom and has encountered major difficulties in adapting to new and different processes. Costa explains that Lewis prefers a respectful and tightly united working group.
He needs that structure in order to build strong confidence. This concerns mostly his race engineer, the technical director, and the chief designer — all figures who must actively push alongside him and fully support him. There is also another “requirement” that plays a crucial role in boosting his morale. Costa highlights that for Lewis, internal status matters enormously: being treated as the number two driver is simply not compatible with him.
Hamilton: what Lewis needs to perform at his absolute best
Throughout his career, the Briton has always played the role of number one. Only in his debut season alongside Fernando Alonso did he start as the supporting driver — and we all know how that ended. At forty years of age, arriving in a completely new environment and not being the team’s undisputed reference point is not easy. Costa stresses how determined Lewis Hamilton is, in his own mind, to assume the role of sole team leader.
If that does not happen, his performance tends to decline. He requires a team behind him that treats him almost like a hero. According to the former Ferrari engineer, this explains Lewis Hamilton’s struggles and highlights the importance of constant motivation for the British driver. Considering the enormous investment made by Ferrari — strongly pushed by Elkann — it would be wise for the team to start “loving and valuing him” much more if they truly want to extract his maximum potential.
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