Lewis Hamilton has endured a challenging start to life at Ferrari in 2025. The Brit has amassed just 15 points from the first three races.
The seven-time world champion is hoping to make his stint in Maranello a success after his record-breaking 12-year spell at Mercedes ended with the lowest finish of his career in 2024.
Unfortunately, his woes have continued at Ferrari. The team botched their strategy in Melbourne as Hamilton finished P10, having led at one point during the pit stops.
Rene Arnoux said Ferrari were in ‘crisis’ in Melbourne as they missed a huge opportunity to score a strong haul of points. Things have not improved massively since then, despite Hamilton winning the Sprint race in Shanghai.
| Position | Drivers’ Championship | Points |
| 1 |
Lando Norris |
62 |
| 2 |
Max Verstappen |
61 |
| 3 |
Oscar Piastri |
49 |
| 4 |
George Russell |
45 |
| 5 |
Andrea Kimi Antonelli |
30 |
| 6 |
Charles Leclerc |
20 |
| 7 |
Alexander Albon |
18 |
| 8 |
Lewis Hamilton |
15 |
| 9 |
Esteban Ocon |
10 |
| 10 |
Lance Stroll |
10 |
The 40-year-old was disqualified from the Grand Prix the next day alongside teammate Charles Leclerc – the former for excessive wear to the floor and the latter for being overweight.
Hamilton lacked pace at Suzuka as he could only manage seventh. It seems the SF-25 has a small operating window to perform – Ferrari have tried to mitigate that at the Bahrain Grand Prix with upgrades.
Karun Chandhok wonders where Lewis Hamilton is after he looked unhappy at the Bahrain Grand Prix
Ted Kravitz saw that Ferrari’s upgrades were ‘serious’ in Bahrain as he noticed multiple changes to the floor of the SF-25. The Maranello squad are looking to generate more downforce with a new diffuser.
Ferrari upgrades have been inspired by the 2022 Mercedes – a car Hamilton openly criticised for giving the Silver Arrows false hope in pre-season. So far in Bahrain, the Brit has struggled to match the McLarens.
In FP3, Hamilton was down in P10, almost 1.5 seconds behind table topper Oscar Piastri. Speaking on Sky Sports F1 after the session, Karun Chandhok was concerned for the 40-year-old as he noticed he has ‘not looked happy’ during practice.
| Pos | Driver | Car | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 1:31.646 | |
| 2 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 1:32.314 | +0.668s |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:32.480 | +0.834s |
| 4 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:32.827 | +1.181s |
| 5 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:32.916 | +1.270s |
| 6 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 1:32.974 | +1.328s |
| 7 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT | 1:33.023 | +1.377s |
| 8 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 1:33.027 | +1.381s |
| 9 | Carlos Sainz | Williams Mercedes | 1:33.092 | +1.446s |
| 10 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:33.111 | +1.465s |
| 11 | Esteban Ocon | Haas Ferrari | 1:33.240 | +1.594s |
| 12 | Jack Doohan | Alpine Renault | 1:33.347 | +1.701s |
| 13 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT | 1:33.370 | +1.724s |
| 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 1:33.548 | +1.902s |
| 15 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 1:33.753 | +2.107s |
| 16 | Oliver Bearman | Haas Ferrari | 1:34.335 | +2.689s |
| 17 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 1:34.363 | +2.717s |
| 18 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 1:34.518 | +2.872s |
| 19 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 1:34.636 | +2.990s |
| 20 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 1:34.965 | +3.319s |
“I think for me, there’s a couple of big question marks that have come out of that session. One is Yuki Tsunoda, he aborted the first lap, went deep on the second lap so we didn’t see a time from him.
“Where is Lewis Hamilton? This is a heavily-revised, upgraded Ferrari, we were told with all these bits that they brought to the floor.
“And so far, Leclerc’s been ahead of him but Lewis [has] just not looked happy in the three sessions.”
READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family
Ferrari could soon abandon their 2025 car to focus on the 2026 regulations
Ferrari’s start to the season has been far from what was expected of them. The team are 76 points behind McLaren in the constructors’ championship before the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The Maranello outfit’s start to the year has prompted conversation about whether they will abandon efforts on the SF-25. The 2026 regulations are set to transform the sport, with many teams already focusing their attention on next season’s car.
Frederic Vasseur has refused to talk about whether Ferrari will shift their focus to 2026. But it does seem that a decision will be made soon.
Ferrari will decide next month if they will start to develop their 2026 machine over 2025. Whatever they choose to do, Hamilton will be desperately hoping his fortunes in red will turn around.
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