Lewis Hamilton hints major Ferrari F1 progress after performance puzzle solved

Japanese Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton hints major Ferrari progress after performance puzzle solved

Ferrari have failed to catapult Hamilton to success in his debut season so far

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Sunday 6 April 2025 13:57

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Seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton has appeared hopeful of improved Ferrari performances for the remainder of the current triple-header, alluding to an issue which has been hampering the Scuderia's results so far.

In his first campaign racing in red, Hamilton has experienced a tumultuous set of results and emotions, getting off to a lacklustre start with a P10 finish at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

The 40-year-old followed up his debut with a stunning first victory with Ferrari in the Chinese GP sprint, but just hours later, a change on the car meant he could only manage a starting position of P5 after qualifying, going on to deliver a shell of the performance shown earlier in Shanghai at Sunday's main event.

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Things went from bad to worse for the Maranello-based outfit and not just where Hamilton was concerned- following the Chinese GP both he and team-mate Charles Leclerc were disqualified, leading to the team making an immediate change to the ride height of their cars for this weekend's Japanese GP in hope of avoiding further penalties.

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Even after Leclerc qualified P4 for the Japanese GP, both he and Hamilton claimed after the race that their SF-25 lacks any pace to make progress on their rivals McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes.

Speaking to media after his seventh-placed finish in Suzuka, Hamilton said: "I did the best I could today. I was genuinely lacking performance compared to the cars ahead of me.

"I am not extracting the best out of the tyres."

The champion did appear hopeful that a positive pivot is on the horizon however, hinting that Ferrari may have identified the issue that is impacting their performance so far.

"We found something on the car that was underperforming for the last three races so I am hoping when that is fixed that I will start getting better results.

“Onwards and upwards."

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