Hamilton, Vasseur, socials — Photo: © IMAGO

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton issues Ferrari write-off claim as Italian media slam 'WEAK' excuses

Lewis Hamilton has had a disappointing start to his Ferrari career

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Tuesday 17 June 2025 08:27 Updated: 11:17

Lewis Hamilton has essentially written off his first season with Ferrari as Italian media have criticised his 'weak' excuses, following another disappointing race for the team at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Hamilton was only able to finish a distant sixth in Canada following damage sustained to his SF-25 that left him unable to match the pace of the front runners. His team-mate Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, could only manage one position better in fifth.

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The result meant the team were leapfrogged by Mercedes in the constructors' championship, and after reports in Italian media suggested last week that team principal Fred Vasseur could soon be out of a job, with the biggest Italian publications now once again critical of the Scuderia and Hamilton.

Sky Italia boldly displayed a video of Hamilton's post-race interview with Sky Sports F1 on their website, where the seven-time champion seemed to suggest that the Scuderia were writing off 2025.

"We’re really in need of an upgrade and there’s a lot of things that need to change in order for us to compete at the front," Hamilton said after the race.

"They don’t really talk about it much, I’ve been chasing them but there is [an upgrade], I think we have something coming hopefully next week but I don’t know if it’s much, I don’t know how much it is, I don’t think it’s going to be a lot so I think it’s just one of those years."

Meanwhile, Gazzetta pointed out how Vasseur's post-race comments were in complete contrast to Hamilton's perception of the team's future performance, suggesting that team boss and driver were potentially not sharing the same vision.

Vasseur stated that upgrades would 'come soon' with the caveat: "I don't think the technical innovations are the main problem."

Ferrari have had a difficult start to the season

Hamilton's 'weak excuse' rejected after Canadian GP disppointment

While Vasseur said in the build-up to the Canadian GP that the reaction from the media was making it harder for Ferrari to compete for championships, Corriere della Sera also couldn't resist putting the boot in.

Hamilton's damage was caused by him running over a groundhog during the race, something which Sky Sports F1 commentators revealed was making him lose '20 points' of downforce.

However, the above publication claimed this was a 'weak' excuse for Hamilton, describing his race as 'laboured' once more.

The seven-time champion is currently sat in sixth in the drivers' championship, and has still not managed to score a podium for his new team, despite Leclerc claiming three in 2025.

The F1 legend appeared to be feeling positive behind the wheel of his SF-25 during parts of the weekend, but yet again failed to pull it together on race day after the freak accident, an excuse which Italian media certainly aren't buying.

Sky Italia focused on this point while giving Hamilton a five out of 10 in their race ratings, whilst Leclerc was only awarded a six, with the Scuderia's questionable strategy once again hampering the Monegasque star's chances at extracting the potential from the weekend.

In theory, Hamilton should have been ahead of his team-mate given that Leclerc only recorded 15 minutes of practice on Friday in Montreal, with the 40-year-old's improved qualifying run labelled a 'broken promise' by Corriere della Sera.

The publication were critical of Vasseur's F1 outfit as a whole, writing: "Leclerc continues to pull and sweat but, as far as pace is concerned, it takes more than that, without standing here questioning a tactic that Charles himself has repeatedly challenged but that perhaps hasn't changed the game.

"Weak are those of Ferrari. On the technical side, the fog remains."

Written by

Sam Cook - Digital Journalist

Sam Cook is a talented young sports journalist and social media professional who now specialises in Formula 1, having previously worked as a football journalist and a local news reporter for a variety of different brands.

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Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Mercedes FIA Charles Leclerc Canadian Grand Prix