Lewis Hamilton faces career-low season in 2025 as Ferrari struggles persist
Lewis Hamilton is confronting what might turn out to be the bottom level of his illustrious 19-year Method 1 profession throughout his debut season with Ferrari in 2025. The seven-time world champion moved to Maranello on a two-year deal, aiming to rejuvenate his profession and chase additional championship glory. As a substitute, Ferrari’s ongoing challenges with the SF-25 have left Hamilton with simply 125 factors throughout 18 rounds, putting him sixth within the F1 drivers’ championship standings and nicely beneath the tempo he set throughout his record-breaking years with Mercedes.
This marks the primary time in Hamilton’s profession that he has failed to succeed in a Grand Prix podium previous the tenth spherical of a season. Whereas the 2025 marketing campaign will not be Lewis Hamilton’s first with out a win — he additionally struggled to safe victories in 2022 and 2023 with Mercedes — these seasons nonetheless yielded 9 and 6 podium finishes respectively. With solely six races remaining in 2025, the Briton faces an uphill battle to keep away from recording the worst season of his profession.
Ferrari’s technical missteps restrict Hamilton and Leclerc
Early in 2025, Ferrari prioritized a rear suspension improve over aerodynamic enhancements, a choice that has since been extensively criticized. The replace, launched at Spa in July, was meant to unlock the SF-25’s potential, but the automotive has turn out to be immune to efficiency good points from setup changes. Hamilton has struggled to extract outcomes from the revised chassis, failing to complete increased than sixth place within the six rounds with the improve, whereas the Monegasque has additionally been hampered by the identical limitations.
Former F1 driver Derek Daly, who competed for Tyrrell and Williams, has expressed doubts about Hamilton ever reaching the height ranges of his previous success given the circumstances at Ferrari. Daly recommended that the transfer to Maranello might have been pushed extra by industrial concerns than pure racing technique, noting that Hamilton was ranked by SportsPro as probably the most marketable Method 1 driver in 2024, and the eleventh most marketable athlete general.
Daly emphasised that Lewis Hamilton’s affect on Method 1 extends past the observe, citing his position in increasing F1’s presence in vogue and world media. Nonetheless, Daly believes these days of peak efficiency and iconic dominance are behind Hamilton. He argued that each athlete experiences a pure decline in reflexes and instincts over time, and Ferrari’s choice to signal Hamilton seems influenced by advertising alternatives relatively than a spotlight solely on aggressive benefit.
Hamilton’s outcomes spotlight Ferrari’s struggles in 2025
Lewis Hamilton’s solely highlights of the 2025 season thus far have are available in F1 Dash races. He received the Dash on the Shanghai Worldwide Circuit in spherical two and secured a third-place end within the Miami Dash. But the 105-time Grand Prix winner has not claimed a podium in any function race this season, along with his greatest finishes within the first 18 Grands Prix being fourth place at Imola, the Purple Bull Ring, and Silverstone. The introduction of Ferrari’s rear suspension improve at Spa in spherical 13 has failed to alter this development.
If Lewis Hamilton fails to safe a podium in two of the remaining six races, his first season at Ferrari can be formally recorded because the worst of his F1 profession — a milestone that may additionally mark a stark distinction to his 202-time podium finishes and 105 Grand Prix victories. His earlier lowest season rostrum counts had been 5 podiums in 2009, 2013, and 2024, demonstrating simply how difficult 2025 has been for the British driver.
Outlook for Ferrari and Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton’s struggles spotlight deeper points inside Ferrari, from automotive improvement to strategic choices within the paddock. The SF-25’s incapability to reply to setup tweaks has uncovered weaknesses in each the chassis and engineering strategy. Because the workforce prepares for the 2026 Method 1 laws overhaul, which can embody main adjustments to aerodynamics, chassis, engine, and tyres, Ferrari faces a crucial interval to reassess technical technique and extract most efficiency from each of its drivers. Analysts predict that the true measure of Lewis Hamilton’s and Charles Leclerc’s impression on automotive improvement is probably not totally understood till the 2026 challenger hits the observe in pre-season testing.
For now, the seven-time Method 1 world champion should deal with a season that has not met expectations, all whereas navigating the challenges of adapting to Ferrari’s engineering strategy and managing the stress of a workforce determined to return to championship competition. How the Briton rebounds within the last rounds of 2025 might set the tone for each his and Ferrari’s future heading into the following period of Method 1.
