Ferrari workers reportedly surprised by sudden Lewis Hamilton comment throughout Austin weekend
Though each Hamilton and his teammate Charles Leclerc solely narrowly reached the top-10 shootout for Saturday’s Dash Race, their efficiency in qualifying for the primary Grand Prix was way more convincing. Hamilton began third whereas Leclerc lined up fifth, marking clear enchancment in Ferrari’s one-lap tempo.
Charles Leclerc went on to safe Ferrari’s sixth podium of the season with a powerful drive to 3rd place. McLaren driver Lando Norris later admitted that Charles Leclerc made him “battle,” revealing that it took him over 20 laps to finish the overtake as a consequence of Ferrari’s aggressive straight-line velocity and constant tire administration all through the opening stint.
Hamilton additionally delivered a robust efficiency, though his race ended with a tense last lap. For the second weekend in a row, he suffered a sudden lack of efficiency brought on by an unidentified difficulty together with his SF-25, which almost allowed Oscar Piastri to grab his place within the closing moments of the Grand Prix.
Blended views on Ferrari’s response to Hamilton’s feedback
Commentator David Croft advised after the race that Ferrari won’t be totally embracing Hamilton’s suggestions but. Nevertheless, journalist Tom Clarkson supplied a unique interpretation of the state of affairs throughout his dialogue with former driver James Hinchcliffe on the F1 Nation Podcast.
Clarkson speculated that some Ferrari personnel might not have been completely happy with Hamilton’s latest feedback about the remainder of the season being a “take a look at” for 2026. He hinted that these remarks may need caught the Italian crew unexpectedly, as Ferrari stays extremely centered on competing for leads to 2025 somewhat than treating it as a transition yr.
“Ferrari workers could be greatly surprised” — Clarkson’s evaluation
Talking after the Austin weekend, Clarkson stated: “I’ve at all times considered Austin as being a Lewis Hamilton racetrack. He’s gained right here 5 instances, he’s been imperious prior to now. I believe he arrived believing he had Charles Leclerc coated — and early within the weekend, that appeared to be the case. However maybe now, he’s leaving questioning how Leclerc bought the higher of him once more.”
Hinchcliffe responded: “It’s powerful to know, as a result of objectively it was a robust weekend for him. He loves this monitor, and there are nonetheless loads of positives to take. Charles did an distinctive job, particularly in qualifying underneath difficult, altering circumstances with wind and temperature fluctuations. I believe Lewis can nonetheless be pleased with the progress his facet of the storage is making.”
Clarkson then added: “He referred to it on Thursday — the concept the final 5 – 6 races are take a look at classes. I’m undecided I believed him, and I think about the storage may need been greatly surprised by that remark. We’re right here to go racing.”
Hinchcliffe concluded: “We’ve heard it from him earlier than, haven’t we? When the brand new laws arrived in 2022, he talked about sacrificing a whole season, taking huge setup swings, whereas George Russell stored issues constant. He was the one experimenting to affect the long run route of the automotive and its growth.”
Hamilton’s mission to repair Ferrari’s long-standing drawback
Lewis Hamilton has joined Ferrari after years at Mercedes, bringing with him a very completely different working philosophy in comparison with what has historically been carried out in Maranello. The British driver is understood for his deep technical suggestions and his fixed push for innovation, and he has reportedly offered Ferrari with detailed paperwork outlining his method to efficiency evaluation and growth.
Reasonably than making an attempt to impose a radical overhaul, Lewis Hamilton’s objective is to information Ferrari towards a extra structured, data-driven methodology just like what he skilled at Mercedes. His collaboration with crew leaders corresponding to Frédéric Vasseur and deputy crew principal Jérôme d’Ambrosio is predicted to play a key function in modernizing Ferrari’s operational processes.
Former Ferrari race engineer Rob Smedley, who labored with Felipe Massa throughout the 2000s, believes that Ferrari have been making the identical basic mistake for almost twenty years — ever since Kimi Räikkönen gained the 2007 Drivers’ Championship. Smedley identified that the crew typically isolates itself from exterior influences and fails to adapt rapidly to altering Method 1 traits, a state of affairs that exterior figures like Hamilton and d’Ambrosio might lastly assist to appropriate.
In response to Smedley, Ferrari’s problem lies in integrating contemporary views whereas sustaining its conventional strengths. In his view, outdoors voices like Hamilton’s may help Maranello evolve with out dropping its identification, fostering a stability between ardour and precision that would outline Ferrari’s future success.
A dangerous however probably rewarding method
It’s comprehensible that some members of Ferrari’s workforce might have reacted negatively to Lewis Hamilton’s suggestion that the ultimate stretch of the 2025 season may very well be handled as a testing section. With six demanding long-haul races remaining, many inside the Scuderia are nonetheless totally dedicated to maximizing outcomes this yr, not looking forward to 2026 simply but.
Nonetheless, Lewis Hamilton’s feedback would possibly replicate a practical technique somewhat than a dismissive angle. The seven-time world champion may very well be viewing the remaining rounds as an important alternative to experiment with setups, race procedures, and automotive habits underneath completely different circumstances — all to make sure Ferrari enters 2026 in a stronger place underneath the next-generation laws.
Finally, if this forward-looking mindset pays off and Ferrari start 2026 with a aggressive automotive, Lewis Hamilton’s phrases might be rapidly forgiven and forgotten. Till then, although, they function a reminder of how a lot is at stake on this new partnership between considered one of Method 1’s best drivers and its most iconic crew.
