Lewis Hamilton admits he was caught out by Ferrari 'intensity'

Seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has revealed that the 'intensity' at Ferrari has taken him aback since joining the Maranello outfit back in January.

Hamilton completed the blockbuster transfer from Mercedes to Ferrari at the start of this year, but the 40-year-old has struggled to get to grips with his new team and the SF-25 car.

The Brit is yet to have claimed a grand prix podium for his new team, while team-mate Charles Leclerc has five already in 2025, and Hamilton is sat down in sixth in the drivers' standings.

He has been involved in a series of downbeat, negative interviews in which he described himself as 'useless', and suggested that Ferrari should look to axe him before the end of his contract, which expires in December 2026.

Now, Hamilton has admitted in an interview that he has been surprised at quite how energetic the team are in their pursuit of a first championship title of any kind since 2008.

"It's not at all what I expected, it's more intense in so many areas," the Ferrari driver told Belgian outlet RTBF Actus. "I didn't expect that. I didn't think the team at the factory would be so impressive. I expected energy, but this... it's even more intense than I imagined.

"There's a huge sense of pride within this team. During a shoot last week, I had a big smile on my face the whole time. I love being in red! I look at the badge and think, 'Wow! It's Ferrari, I can't believe it'.

"I still have to pinch myself, I think, 'I'm driving for Ferrari'. It's phenomenal."

Can Hamilton bounce back to his best?

Although Ferrari's performance issues haven't helped him, Hamilton has been outqualified by Leclerc in the same car on 10 occasions in the first 14 races of the season, and he is also sat 42 points behind the Monegasque driver in the drivers' championship.

The seven-time champion had initially opted to join Ferrari in the hopes of adding to his record-breaking tally of grands prix victories, and go one better than Michael Schumacher and claim an eighth world championship.

However, a championship title has arguably never looked further away from Hamilton than right now, with the Brit really struggling to get any kind of performance out of his SF-25.

In some good news for Hamilton and his fans, however, there are wholesale regulation changes sweeping into the sport next season, which may see a shake up in the competitive order and a potential return to the top for Ferrari.

On top of this, F1 will be getting rid of the current generation of cars which have clearly not been to Hamilton's liking, with the 40-year-old only having claimed two wins across four seasons since the ground effect cars came into play in 2022.

2026's car designs may just be better suited to Hamilton's driving talents, and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has constantly reiterated over the past couple of seasons that the Brit does still have the 'magic'.

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