Hamilton Struggles in Saudi Arabian GP as Ferrari… Read more
Lewis Hamilton endured a frustrating Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, admitting he was “fighting the car every corner” throughout the race. The seven-time world champion, who joined Ferrari this season, finished a distant seventh in Jeddah, matching his qualifying position and trailing race winner Oscar Piastri by 39 seconds.
Hamilton’s performance stood in stark contrast to his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, who managed to convert his fourth-place grid spot into a third-place finish, securing Ferrari’s first Grand Prix podium of the season—excluding Hamilton’s earlier Sprint victory in China.
Speaking after the race, Hamilton explained his lack of pace, citing poor grip and an unbalanced car. “I just lacked grip, I lacked good balance. It was just fighting the car every corner and nothing I did would work,” he said. “Every lap, every time you’re going around, you’re trying to adapt and improve on that specific spot.” Despite the upcoming break before the next round in Miami, Hamilton expressed doubt that the gap would help improve his form, saying, “Honestly, I don’t think so – it’s not going to make any difference.”
Hamilton’s transition from Mercedes to Ferrari over the winter has proven challenging so far. His best Grand Prix finish this season was fifth in Bahrain, and after five rounds, he currently sits seventh in the Drivers’ Championship. He trails Leclerc by 16 points and is seven points behind his Mercedes successor, rookie Kimi Antonelli.
Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur acknowledged the difficulties Hamilton is facing, commenting that the team needs to help him find more consistency. “I had a very quick discussion with Lewis but it’s a tough weekend for him,” said Vasseur. “He was a bit inconsistent, even in the race he had a good stint, a good first part of the second stint, but we have to be more consistent from Friday morning first [and] all the laps in qualifying to start in a better position, because the potential is there, for sure, and consistency is key for us.”
As the Formula 1 calendar moves towards the Miami Grand Prix, all eyes will be on how Hamilton and Ferrari respond to these early-season struggles. While Leclerc has begun to extract solid results from the SF-25, Hamilton continues to search for comfort and rhythm in a car he still seems at odds with. The break may not promise a solution, but it will certainly give both the driver and team time to analyze and prepare for a much-needed turnaround.
