Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari Struggles Explained — and Why There’s No Quick Fix
Lewis Hamilton’s early days at Ferrari have been far from the dream start many had anticipated. Through the opening rounds of the 2025 season — particularly across the triple-header of Japan, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia — Hamilton has appeared increasingly downbeat, struggling to find his footing with his new team. After a tough seventh-place finish in Jeddah, the seven-time world champion made a startling admission, warning that the “pain” of his current struggles might continue throughout the season before any real solutions are found.
This was certainly not the narrative Ferrari or Hamilton envisioned when he made the blockbuster move from Mercedes. His switch to the Scuderia was meant to reignite his championship hopes, not bury them deeper. Yet after a challenging debut in Australia where he finished 10th, there was a brief glimmer of hope: Hamilton captured pole position and won the sprint race in China, marking his first sprint success and flashing signs of his former brilliance. It felt like a breakthrough, a moment suggesting that the worst might be behind him.
Unfortunately, that momentum quickly faded. Since China, Hamilton’s performance has taken a downward spiral, showing no signs of recovery. When examining the head-to-head statistics between Hamilton and his teammate Charles Leclerc, the picture becomes even clearer. Over the course of the first five race weekends, including sprint sessions, Hamilton has been out-qualified by Leclerc four times out of six. On average, Hamilton trails Leclerc by 0.251 seconds per session — a respectable gap against a one-lap specialist like Leclerc, but significant enough to impact starting positions in a tightly packed field.
Leclerc’s average starting position is 4.6, while Hamilton’s is 6.3. In terms of grand prix starts alone, the gap widens even further: Hamilton averages 7.4, while Leclerc sits at 4.8. When it comes to race results, Hamilton has only managed to beat Leclerc once — and that was during the sprint, not the full-length grand prix. In Saudi Arabia, the gap was stark, with Hamilton crossing the line a full 31 seconds behind his teammate.
Part of Hamilton’s struggles could be attributed to bad luck given how narrow the performance margins are between cars this year. In such a compressed field, even small deficits are heavily punished, often leaving Hamilton trapped in traffic where in previous years a bigger car advantage might have masked some of these issues.
That said, Ferrari’s SF-25 is far from a disaster. Both Leclerc in Saudi Arabia and Hamilton in China have demonstrated the car’s potential to fight for poles and victories. The car has shown flashes of competitiveness, but Hamilton has made it clear: he is simply not comfortable behind the wheel yet. He continues to battle with balance issues and has struggled to find confidence in the setup.
For now, there is no magic solution in sight. Hamilton, Ferrari, and fans will need to be patient as they work toward unlocking the performance needed to match the team’s — and Hamilton’s — lofty expectations.
