Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari Woes Continue at British GP as Vasseur Confirms ‘S… read more
Lewis Hamilton endured another challenging outing with Ferrari at the 2025 British Grand Prix, finishing just shy of a podium in fourth place. Despite strong expectations from the home crowd and a weekend full of promise, the seven-time world champion saw his incredible run of podiums at Silverstone — a streak lasting 11 consecutive years — come to an end. As frustration mounted after the race, Hamilton publicly voiced concerns over the Ferrari’s handling, describing the car as “snappy” and unpredictable. In response, Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur has now confirmed he will speak with Hamilton directly to clarify the matter, suggesting some of the Briton’s complaints “were not always true.”
The weekend had been anticipated as a turning point for Hamilton’s slow-burning debut season with Ferrari. Having secured a sprint win earlier in the year in China, there were hopes that Silverstone would mark his first full-length Grand Prix podium with the Scuderia. The stage was set: an enthusiastic British crowd, competitive qualifying pace, and rivals such as Max Verstappen, George Russell, Charles Leclerc, and Kimi Antonelli either falling down the order or exiting the race entirely by the final laps. But despite the opportunities, Hamilton couldn’t capitalize — a performance that raised more questions than answers.
Hamilton’s comments after the race focused on the car’s instability, particularly its “snappy” behavior under changing track conditions and tyre wear. These issues, he implied, had limited his ability to confidently attack in crucial moments, including his battle with Nico Hülkenberg and Lance Stroll for the final podium place. The Ferrari’s inconsistency has been a recurring issue throughout the 2025 season, and while the team has shown flashes of competitiveness, results have often fallen short of expectations.
Vasseur, while sympathetic to Hamilton’s post-race frustrations, offered a more balanced view in his media debrief. He noted that even Max Verstappen had described his Red Bull as difficult to manage under similar conditions, implying that it wasn’t just a Ferrari-specific issue. “I didn’t have time to discuss with Lewis about the balance, but he said on the radio that it was ‘very snappy’ — but it was not always true,” Vasseur stated. His response hints at a potential disconnect between Hamilton’s perception of the car from the cockpit and the data observed on the pit wall.
Vasseur elaborated further, stressing how challenging it has become in 2025 to maintain car consistency over a race distance. He pointed out that many teams — including Red Bull and Ferrari — are struggling with fluctuating performance throughout stints, which can be impacted by everything from tyre pressures to evolving track temperatures. “I think it’s very difficult to have a consistent car,” Vasseur said. “That’s where McLaren is much faster than everybody. If you look, everybody is competitive, but only for a few laps. It’s either the beginning of the stint or the end, depending on tyre pressures. As soon as you’re out of that window, you struggle a lot.”
This inconsistency appears to be a fundamental flaw in Ferrari’s current setup philosophy, something that even Hamilton’s immense talent has not been able to overcome. Despite equalling his best race result since joining the team, the disappointment was palpable. The missed podium wasn’t just a statistical blip — it was a symbolic moment that underscored the gap between Ferrari’s expectations and their actual competitiveness in this new era of Formula 1. Moreover, it marked the continuation of a trend: Hamilton has yet to stand on the podium for Ferrari in a Grand Prix, a milestone that remains frustratingly elusive.
For Hamilton, the fourth-place finish also meant narrowing the gap slightly to teammate Charles Leclerc in the driver standings, bringing the deficit to 16 points. But in a year where Ferrari were expected to challenge consistently at the front, especially with a driver of Hamilton’s caliber onboard, these marginal gains offer little consolation. The broader narrative remains one of underachievement and adaptation struggles.
The 40-year-old Briton has entered his Ferrari career with high hopes and a mission to bring the Scuderia back to glory. Yet the first half of the 2025 season has been anything but glorious. From strategy blunders to mechanical woes and now mounting frustrations over the car’s unpredictable balance, the project has yet to bear fruit. While Hamilton has maintained a largely composed demeanor in public, moments like Silverstone — his home race, no less — reveal the growing strain behind the scenes.
Ferrari now faces a critical period as the season nears its midpoint. While McLaren continues to surge ahead with a car that is both fast and consistent, and Red Bull remains a looming threat despite their own internal dramas, Ferrari finds itself in a familiar position: talented drivers, high expectations, but results that don’t quite add up. For Vasseur and his engineering team, resolving the car’s fundamental balance issues will be crucial. For Hamilton, finding the synergy between driver and machine that once made him unstoppable will be essential if his Ferrari move is to yield the success both parties envisioned.
As Vasseur prepares to sit down with Hamilton and dissect his latest criticisms, it’s clear that both sides still have work to do to fully understand one another — and the machine they are trying to tame. Until then, the podium will remain an elusive destination, even on home soil.
