Lewis Hamilton now ‘biding his time’ for Ferrari to make one crucial change to his 2025 F1 car

Lewis Hamilton hasn’t enjoyed the start to life at Ferrari that he would have liked this season.

After the first 10 races this season, Lewis Hamilton has failed to secure a podium, something that hasn’t previously happened during his 18-year Formula 1 career.

His Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc has stood on the rostrum three times in 2025, but Fred Vasseur’s team have underperformed everyone’s expectations this year.

Vasseur’s team missed out on the constructors’ championship on the final day of last year, but with 14 Grand Prix remaining, they already look out of contention.

The seven-time world champion has had a tough initial spell at Ferrari but outqualified Leclerc for the second time in a row at the Canadian Grand Prix which will increase his confidence.

Hamilton was heard complaining about his Ferrari over the team radio in Canada but also had to deal with one issue that was completely out of his control.

The 40-year-old was devastated when he learned that he hit a groundhog on lap 13 which cost him roughly 0.5 seconds per lap for the rest of the race.

The floor damage caused by this collision explains Hamilton’s struggles in Montreal, but he’s waiting for Ferrari to deliver one crucial update that should improve his prospects for the rest of the campaign.

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Lewis Hamilton ‘biding his time’ for Ferrari to fix suspension issues

A report from The Race has shared more details about Hamilton’s deficit to the likes of McLaren, Mercedes and Max Verstappen this season.

Ferrari are working on a new rear suspension that will hopefully fix some of the issues Hamilton has faced since having to raise the car following his disqualification in Shanghai.

It’s been suggested that Hamilton is now ‘biding his time’ for the new suspension to arrive.

However, he understands that Ferrari can’t afford to sacrifice any development time on next year’s car with very little left to play for this season.

Speaking after the race in Canada, Hamilton said: “It’s my first half of the year in a new team.

“It’s interesting to see how different teams work and operate. There have been times in my career where you’ve had a whole bunch of upgrades very, very early on in a season and you plough ahead very early. Then you stop and taper off.

“Sometimes it’s been slower. It’s also in the last year of this generation of cars, it’s harder to find performance. And also you can be focused on next year.

“The fact is with this car hopefully we can still fight for second in the constructors’ championship. That would be great.

“But I want a car that can win next year so that’s the priority. That’s what we’ve come here to get.”

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Ferrari must decide between short-term gains or long-term success after Lewis Hamilton’s plea

Hamilton recognises that his chances of winning an eighth championship in 2025 are already over.

However, Ferrari will want to avoid slipping down the constructors’ championship and Vasseur’s job might rely on making improvements this season.

Although next season’s regulations will see every team building a very different car from this season, there are some learnings that can be used next year.

Ferrari could therefore benefit in the long run from helping fix Hamilton’s suspension woes now, especially if it gives him more confidence in the car heading into 2026 when the Scuderia should be more competitive.