When Lewis Hamilton finally made his long-anticipated switch to Ferrari, fans were split.
Some called it “5 years too late”.
Others understood the commercial shrewdness from Ferrari and how this has set up a perfect chapter for the legendary F1 driver.
Retirement has been knocking on Hamilton’s door for a while, so teaming up with Ferrari feels like his way of ticking the last box on his bucket list before calling it a day. Plus, the Hamilton x Ferrari deal is worth a reported $446 million, so he’s definitely setting himself up with one hell of a retirement fund.
However, even though the now 40-year-old is at the tail-end of his career and will only race with Ferrari for two seasons, there are big expectations on him. After all, it’s Lewis Hamilton we’re talking about here and this is still the most shocking driver transfer in F1 history, even if it did come late in the day.
Can Hamilton deliver on these expectations? That’s the question. And considering his age and the fact the 7-time world champion hasn’t won a Drivers’ Championship since 2020, these expectations might be too much, especially when you look at Hamilton’s underwhelming start with the Reds.
Lewis Hamilton’s Dream of an Eighth World Championship Will Have to Wait Until Next Season
One thing for sure is that if Lewis Hamilton is going to win that elusive 8th Drivers Championship, it won’t be until next season. Almost all major betting sites have him listed with 150/1 odds for the current season and it would take something of a miracle for him to pull it off now. Instead, Oscar Piastri (4/5) or Lando Norris (2/1) are the outstanding favourites, who you can bet on using methods such as PayPal, bank transfer, or debit cards.
It’s been a challenging start to life at Ferrari for one of the all-time F1 greats, with Hamilton failing to finish no higher than fifth after his first five Grand Prix races. The first was a 10th-place finish at the Australian GP before (most recently) finishing 8th at the Miami GP. Hamilton did get a nice little sprint victory at the Chinese Grand Prix, though, so it’s not been all bad news. Just imagine telling someone a few years ago that Lewis Hamilton would deliver Ferrari their first ever sprint win in 2025 — they’d probably call you crazy, yet here we are.
Hamilton’s struggles can at least be pinpointed.
Firstly, he’s adapting to a new car after being with Mercedes for 10 years, which was always going to take some time. Hamilton himself hasn’t dodged the issue, either, claiming in typical Hamilton fashion that he needs a “brain transplant” so he can really get to grips with the Ferrari SF-25, which seems to be clashing with his usual braking and cornering style.
Then there’s the slightly more trivial problem: Hamilton’s ongoing communication problem with Riccardo Adami. The Ferrari engineer and Hamilton aren’t exactly getting along with each other and there’s tension in the air whenever they talk during races, with Hamilton telling Adami they don’t have “good team work” and to “take a tea break while you’re at it” during the recent Miami GP. This particular outburst didn’t go down too well with the people at Ferrari, so we might see a much more calm and reserved Hamilton at Emilia Romagna later this month.
And what about the most obvious problem of all: Hamilton simply isn’t the guy he used to be. Sure, there’s still juice in the tank, but he’s not 25 anymore and expecting him to storm the circuit with Ferrari at this stage in his career is probably wishful thinking. Of course, the most die-hard of Hamilton fans will cling to the fact that things could suddenly click and that Hamilton will do the unthinkable next season to win his 8th championship, but the past few years tell us that this is unlikely to happen.
Ferrari Has “Big Time Struggles” — Hamilton
After a disappointing exit at the Miami GP, Hamilton told Sky Sports F1 that “we’re struggling big time,” and that “no matter what we do, it’s so inconsistent every time we go out”. He’s not lying, either: everyone can see that Ferrari isn’t in a great place right now thanks to a multitude of problems, including the SF-25’s serious lack of one-lap pace. It’s causing everyone in the crew one giant headache that nobody knows how to fix — and Hamilton’s recent mid-race outbursts reflect this.
How Ferrari Can Fix the Hamilton Dilemma Ahead of Next Season
From Hamilton’s perspective, the current F1 season is pretty much already a write-off.
Some fans and analysts are even claiming that he should have just stayed with Mercedes, pointing at the recent form of Russell and Antonelli while putting forward the idea that if Hamilton is truly desperate for that 8th championship, the best place to realistically do it was with Mercedes.
But let’s not forget that Ferrari is the greatest F1 team of all time and there’s no greater place for Hamilton to be right now. On paper, it’s the dream combination. Both parties just need to make it work.
While he’s in the braking zone, Hamilton hates having anyone in his ear. Fixing the communication problem Hamilton and his engineers should therefore be priority number one, as well as boosting the overall morale of the crew.
Future changes to his car will also be needed. Right now, the back end is sort of all over the place and lacking grip, so Ferrari has some work to do here. It’s clearly rubbing off on Hamilton, too, who will no doubt be frustrated that he isn’t living up to expectations.
Hamilton himself will also have to step up. He’s getting slower with age and the ship might genuinely have sailed when it comes to that illusive 8th championship. Only time will tell, but Hamilton must do his best to adapt throughout the remainder of the season, pick up any wins he can, and then that momentum into next season for one last roll of the dice.
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