Weekly Hot Take: Lewis Won’t Win His 8th Title at Ferrari

One of the most shocking announcements in all of Formula 1 history came in February of 2024, when Sir Lewis Hamilton declared he was leaving Mercedes and driving for Scuderia Ferrari for the 2025 season and beyond. Many fans were excited about the change, and it seemed like a dream come true for most tifosi. However, Hamilton’s season at Ferrari has thus far been less than stellar, and many fans worry that it may not have been the right decision. Let’s dive into the concerns over Hamilton wearing red, and how his current performance may foreshadow continued suffering on the Italian team.

Hamilton currently holds the record for the longest period with a single F1 team with 246 appearances, beating previous record-holder Michael Schumacher by 46 appearances. From 2012 to 2024, Hamilton spent 13 seasons with Mercedes, won 6 of his 7 World Driver’s Championship titles, and helped achieve 8 Constructor’s Championships. He almost won the title in 2021 but a crazy race in Abu Dhabi cost him that championship to Max Verstappen. Because of this event, Hamilton’s fans argued that he deserved the 8th title then because of the sketchy steward decisions during the race. After he announced his Ferrari signing, many were excited that Hamilton would win his 8th championship for real after joining his new team. However, hopes were dashed after even the first race, as the Melbourne Grand Prix revealed current major issues for Ferrari through Hamilton and teammate Leclerc’s performances.

Hamlton and Leclerc aura farmed the media before the 2025 season but later let fans down on the track. Photo courtesy of PlanetF1.

Over the past 5 races, Hamilton’s average finishing position has been P7-7.25 (excluding his disqualification from the Chinese GP due to weight limits) and his average qualifying position is about the same. He has been continually trailing Charles Leclerc in both qualifying and races, with Leclerc’s race finish averaging around P4.8-5. The New York Times Athletic declares that Hamilton “ is 4-0 down in their race day head-to-head (which becomes 5-0 including the results pre-DSQ in China) and has spent only 34 out of 273 laps — 12.5 percent — ahead of Leclerc this year.” The lack of performance is concerning, and somewhat reminiscent of Daniel Ricciardo struggling at McLaren, or more recently Liam Lawson failing to succeed at Red Bull. While Hamilton is still consistently in the points, he still has not adapted to his new car yet and continues to miss the mark.

At the Chinese Grand Prix, tifosi spirits were rejuvenated after Hamilton took pole in the sprint qualifying and won the sprint race, as it seemed like his dominance might be returning. However, both Ferrari drivers were later disqualified because of a weight issue, which crushed the dreams of all who felt encouraged by Hamilton’s temporary victory. The car itself has been the main source of problems this year for both drivers, and Hamilton himself described how the Chinese GP specifically was a “tough day but a positive weekend overall…we tried some new set up changes for qualifying and the race that didn’t work out, but that’s a learning we can take with us moving forward.”

Hamilton celebrating at the highlight of his 2025 season: the Chinese sprint race. Photo courtesy of Crash.

As long as Hamilton is leaving a legacy in F1 while also being paid the big bucks by Ferrari, I don’t know what other possible options he would have, but I honestly don’t think that Ferrari is the right fit for him in terms of the car and his inability to adapt to its movement. With George Russell and Kimi Antonelli both performing at the top of their game, there is currently no place for him back in Mercedes, and unless he wanted to drop to an even worse team, Hamilton may be forced to continue his journey with Ferrari, successful or unsuccessful. I personally believe that this year is not going to be a good one for him. Even as Hamilton sits P7 in the WDC standings right now, there is little chance for him to move up and spontaneously take the lead. Let me know what you think, and as always, thanks for reading.

Lights out and away we go,

Lucy xx