Mattia Binotto now admits that it is ‘very clear’ that Ferrari’s results since the arrival of Lewis Hamilton as Charles Leclerc’s teammate for the 2025 F1 season are ‘not good’.
The head of Audi’s F1 project at Sauber knows the toll it takes to lead Ferrari, as Binotto was their team principal from 2019-2022. He took the Scuderia to second in the F1 constructors’ standings in 2019 and 2022, as well, but resigned having only guided seven Grand Prix wins.
Ferrari replaced Binotto with Fred Vasseur, who would play a key role in the Scuderia signing Hamilton to his initial two-year contract effective from the 2025 F1 season. But the pride of Italy are yet to see Hamilton’s £39m a year Ferrari contract offer much value so far this term.
The seven-time F1 drivers’ champion has still not managed a podium finish through the first nine rounds. Instead, his best results have come in F1 Sprint events, after Hamilton won the Shanghai Sprint and he sealed third in the Miami Sprint after an early pit stop for slick tyres.
Mattia Binotto thinks Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton is ‘already’ at the end of his F1 career
Instead, Leclerc has delivered all three of Ferrari’s podium finishes so far this season with his P2 finish in the Monaco Grand Prix plus P3 in Saudi Arabia and Spain. The 27-year-old’s third place in the Spanish Grand Prix even lifted Ferrari into second in the constructors’ standings.
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| Position | Constructors’ Standings | Points |
| 1 |
McLaren Racing |
362 |
| 2 |
Scuderia Ferrari |
165 |
| 3 |
Mercedes-AMG Petronas |
159 |
| 4 |
Red Bull Racing |
144 |
Such is his plight that Hamilton is urging Ferrari to switch focus to the 2026 F1 regulations as he continues to struggle to adapt to the SF-25’s unpredictable rear end. But Binotto thinks a different reason may be the cause of Hamilton’s problems, having turned 40 back in January.
Binotto outlined to Automoto.it: “Hamilton is of a certain age. Ferrari took him when he was already at the end of his career. The ideal would have been to have him a few years earlier.”
Audi chief Binotto’s concerns regarding Hamilton’s age are in direct contrast to what the son of Enzo Ferrari, Piero Ferrari, thinks. Speaking before the season, Ferrari vice chairman Piero Ferrari stated he has zero concerns ‘at all’ that Hamilton is too old for Ferrari after hitting 40.
Lewis Hamilton has 40 fewer points than his old Mercedes teammate George Russell
But while Piero Ferrari put his full faith behind Hamilton, the Briton is only sixth in the 2025 F1 drivers’ championship with 71 points and his best Grand Prix finish to date is P4 at Imola. His old Mercedes teammate George Russell has 111 points since Hamilton moved to Ferrari.
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| Position | Drivers’ Championship | Points |
| 1 |
Oscar Piastri |
186 |
| 2 |
Lando Norris |
176 |
| 3 |
Max Verstappen |
137 |
| 4 |
George Russell |
111 |
| 5 |
Charles Leclerc |
94 |
| 6 |
Lewis Hamilton |
71 |
| 7 |
Andrea Kimi Antonelli |
48 |
The Scuderia are also just six points better off than Mercedes in the constructors’ standings, having seen Russell score four podiums to lead the Silver Arrows beside rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli. So, Binotto concedes Ferrari’s results in the 2025 season are ‘not good’ to look at.
Binotto acknowledged: “From the outside, perhaps one shouldn’t even judge. It’s clear that the performance on the track and the results are not good at the moment.
“However, I know every single member of that team very well, and I know that they are good, strong and capable. They will be able to improve the car and do well in the future. And I believe that Ferrari can get some satisfaction this year.
