Lewis Hamilton needs to make changes if he wants his first-ever Formula 1 season with Ferrari to be remembered as a success.
So far, the Brit lies a lonely sixth in the drivers’ championship and is yet to finish on the podium during a Grand Prix. He’s had nine Formula 1 races to achieve that feat with Ferrari, but alarm bells may be going off now that he hasn’t really been able to get close.
The best part of Hamilton’s season was his sprint race victory at the Chinese Grand Prix, which came a little bit out of the blue. Since then, he hasn’t finished lower than eighth on a Sunday, but hasn’t displayed the blistering form that fans hoped he would before 2025.
Hamilton needs something Toto Wolff was ‘very good’ at from his new boss Fred Vasseur at Ferrari, with his confidence and motivation dipping by the day. It could be seen in the way that he blasted his own performance after the Spanish Grand Prix.
Following his turbulent start to life in Italy, Hamilton faces a ‘critical’ turning point at Ferrari and needs to find more speed and consistency out of the SF25. He has shown he can win this year, now he needs to repeat it more often.
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Hamilton did something ‘unusual’ at the Spanish Grand Prix and really went out of his way to avoid the media in the paddock. Perhaps that suggests something about the state he finds himself in currently, and how focused he is on making improvements.
The intensity of the situation is clearly ramping up after Hamilton ‘wiped tears’ from under his helmet in Barcelona. It doesn’t feel like a record-breaking eighth world title is going to be within reach any time soon.
However, the words of his team principal may excite him, after he revealed one thing about the direction of the team’s upgrades for their car this year.
According to Auto Motor und Sport, Vasseur said, “We will bring upgrades, but not all of them will be visible.”
If things are going to change under the car, the fundamental characteristics of the car may change, aligning themselves more with the Brit’s driving style. So far, he’s made changes to suit their machine, which have not made him comfortable.
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Lewis Hamilton’s worrying Ferrari ‘suspicion’ after spotting big change
Understandably, there was a lot of excitement surrounding the arrival of a seven-time champion in Maranello over the winter. Social media’s posts racked up record numbers and Hamilton looked fresh and ready to tackle a new challenge.
However, just a few months on and the outlook has changed externally and internally too. Hamilton has a worrying ‘suspicion’ about Ferrari and fears that some of his colleagues have already begun to turn away from him.
That won’t help anyone, especially considering that he’s going to need everyone on his side when the 2026 F1 regulations arrive and the sport enters a new era.
If after that, Hamilton still struggles for speed, it’s fairly certain to say that he may not bother trying to achieve another title.
