Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton 'out of comfort zone' as Ferrari blasted for 'poor decisions'

Lewis Hamilton has suffered a disappointing start to his first season at Ferrari

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Saturday 7 June 2025 20:57

Lewis Hamilton has been handed a dire assessment of his struggles at Ferrari amid a difficult start to his debut season with the Scuderia.

The seven-time champion achieved his maiden title with McLaren and the other six with Mercedes, but his chances of achieving a record-breaking eighth with Ferrari currently look slim to none.

F1 HEADLINES: Lewis Hamilton holds key meeting as Red Bull driver swap discussed

Article continues under video

Concerns over Hamilton's performance with the Italian outfit have only grown as the 2025 season has progressed beyond the opening stages.

His best result in a grand prix race came at Imola during the recent European triple-header where he achieved P4 at the first of Ferrari's home races, but team-mate Charles Leclerc went on to outdo him across the next two events, earning back-to-back podiums in Monaco and Barcelona.

When Hamilton's former team-mate Nico Rosberg was asked at last weekend's Spanish GP what he made of the champion's decline, the former Mercedes star cited the 40-year-old's age as a natural cause of his less impressive results.

Speaking to InstantWithdrawalBettingSites, former F1 driver and pundit Johnny Herbert also shared the sentiment, saying: "You're always going to have your peak and an end of your peak. It's not nice to see.

"I know Charles Leclerc is not happy with the car either, but at least he's getting podium finishes consistently. There have been a couple of poor decisions in Ferrari's strategy and poor communication over the radio, Hamilton doesn't have the synergy with his engineer that he needs. He hasn't found his comfort zone since the sprint win in China."

What does the future hold for Hamilton at Ferrari?

Hamilton's incompatibility with engineer Riccardo Adami has made for awkward listening at times across the first nine race weekends of the year, a stark contrast to the close relationship he built with Peter 'Bono' Bonnington across his 12 years at Mercedes.

Naturally, Hamilton wasn't expected to fit right in at Ferrari alongside Leclerc, who comparatively, is now practically as comfortable as an F1 driver could be at a team, having raced with the Scuderia since 2019.

Whilst Ferrari may not be able to provide Hamilton nor Leclerc with the ideal machinery to compete for championships, the British icon is clearly struggling.

Whether that be down to his age, lack of experience with the Ferrari or even a combination of similar factors, Herbert does not expect things to get better for the legendary racer.

"Sometimes you don't realise when it's not as easy as it was before, but when you look across the garage and your teammate is outperforming you, then it may click," he said.

"The greats of the sport, at their peak, get the best out of their car. Max Verstappen is doing it right now. Hamilton just can't seem to get the extra he needs anymore. He won't understand why he can't, because he'll feel like he should be able to. But, Leclerc is outperforming you in the same car.

"Leclerc is only going to grow and is in control of Ferrari's future. He's the guy they can rely on, Ferrari can't rely on Lewis Hamilton at this point. It's horrible to say but it's the truth."

Red Bull Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Charles Leclerc