Lewis Hamilton 'chemistry' hurting Ferrari F1 team

Hamilton, Ferrari, socials — Photo: © IMAGO

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton 'chemistry' hurting Ferrari

Ferrari and Hamilton's relationship has been questioned

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Friday 29 August 2025 20:27

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A ‘chemistry’ issue has been identified at Ferrari as hindering the team’s progress for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.

Ferrari have not won a title of any kind since 2008, despite boasting a list of talented drivers over the years such as Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel and now Hamilton.

However, Ferrari are no closer to returning to championship glory, with a ‘chemistry’ issue being identified at the team.

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Speaking following FP1 at the Dutch Grand Prix, 1997 champion Jacques Villeneuve said: "There doesn’t seem to be any chemistry inside the team.

"Not just Lewis and his engineer, the whole team. Leclerc with his engineer, probably the engineers amongst each other, there’s no chemistry, you can’t get the ball rolling."

Why can’t Ferrari win a title?

When Sky presenter Simon Lazenby pointed out that chemistry didn’t necessarily cause Ferrari to have a slow car, Villeneuve responded: "No, but it means you don’t make progress and they haven’t been progressing.

"I mean they're one of the biggest teams out there, and there’s no reason... they have two great drivers, why aren’t they progressing?

"They have all the tools, they have everything they need, then it’s just down to the people. It’s just down to the fact that they have zero chemistry."

Villeneuve referenced the exchanges between Hamilton and race engineer Riccardo Adami, whose tense interactions have often made headlines during a race weekend in 2025.

As Villeneuve highlighted, Leclerc often struggles to communicate with his race engineer Bryan Bozzi, with the driver conjuring his own strategy in Hungary instead of being advised by Bozzi over the airwaves.

Nevertheless, Ferrari are committed to their current set up, with Fred Vasseur signing a contract extension, and the Frenchman remains extremely protective of his personnel within the team, who have already come under scrutiny for Ferrari’s performances in 2025 earlier this season.

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