Lewis Hamilton is approaching the end of his Formula 1 career and has had to battle with some new faces over the last few years.
The start of his Ferrari career and the end of his Mercedes term has seen him battling often in the midfield and scrapping for points at the bottom of the top 10.
It’s not to suggest that Hamilton’s skillset has waned at all, but more that he hasn’t been given a car capable of competing for an eighth drivers’ championship at all.
Hamilton is adjusting to totally different systems at Ferrari but has enjoyed some success, winning the sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix.
With 20 more races to go in the Formula 1 calendar this season, he has plenty of time to find more speed if he wants to challenge the McLaren drivers for victories.
Hamilton is ‘troubled’ with Ferrari and has a lot of work to do. Until some positive upgrades arrive, he could be subject to more midfield battles.
READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton sends heartbreaking radio message to Ferrari after qualifying woes at Bahrain Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton realised Esteban Ocon was ‘so quick’ at the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix
One of Hamilton’s midfield rivals is Esteban Ocon, who once worked alongside him at Mercedes as a reserve driver.
Much like the seven-time champion, he comes from humble beginnings and has fought incredibly hard to reach the pinnacle of motorsport.
Ocon has revealed that he and Hamilton were reminiscing about his pace at the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix just a few weeks ago. It was one of the first times they had to fight on track.
“But yes, we were talking about it with Lewis in Suzuka on the driver’s parade and remembering. He was like ‘Yeah, you were so quick that weekend! You were quick in the straight, I couldn’t pass you, quick in corners,” he said.
“I was like ‘Yeah, but you still didn’t get me!’ Lewis has been doing it for 20 years. He’s still the same, and we talk about RC cars. We are just big kids enjoying what we do.”
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Why Esteban Ocon has been one of the best Formula 1 drivers in 2025
At the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, it looked as if Ocon’s decision to move to Haas may have backfired. They looked slow and really lacked pace.
He has struggled particularly in qualifying, however, in race trim, he has been rapid. He sits ninth in the standings, two places behind Hamilton.
An ability to remain consistent and avoid incidents is crucial in what is a very hotly contested battle. If he can keep building pace, he may be seeing Hamilton a bit more often in the future.
Now sitting fifth in the constructors, Ocon may be about to lead Haas to their best result since 2018 if he can maintain his current form for the rest of the campaign.
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