F1 2025: Ferrari seeking answers after 'significant drop' in Lewis Hamilton performance at Spanish GP

lewis hamilton, spanish grand prix, ferrari, graphic — Photo: © IMAGO

Formula 1

Ferrari seeking answers after 'significant drop' in Lewis Hamilton performance at Spanish GP

Lewis Hamilton's performance at the Spanish Grand Prix caused alarm

Originally written by Sheona Mountford. This version is a translation.

Tuesday 3 June 2025 21:00

Ferrari are set to look into why Lewis Hamilton suffered a significant drop in perfromance towards the latter stages of the Spanish Grand Prix.

Despite out-qualifying his team-mate Charles Leclerc on Saturday, Hamilton was forced to let the faster Ferrari through on lap 10 of the race, with no answer to the speed of his team-mate.

And, come the end of the race, Hamilton had to settle for sixth after he was passed by Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg after a late safety car restart.

Speaking to Sky Sports Germany after the race, team principal Fred Vasseur reflected on a positive race in regards to Ferrari’s pace, but revealed further investigation was needed to understand Hamilton’s deficit during the grand prix.

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“I'm happy with it, but it was a little chaotic. We have some question marks over the tyres because they were better at the end than at the beginning,” Vasseur said.

“But we've had three good races now with Imola, Monaco, and Barcelona. That means we're back in the fight for second place in the constructors' championship.

Why did Hamilton struggle at the Spanish GP?

A multitude of theories have been bandied about as to why Hamilton has struggled in relation to Leclerc in 2025, with Nico Rosberg naming the champion’s age as a contributing factor.

Speaking post-race, Hamilton also stated that it was the ‘worst race’ he’d experienced balance-wise, but could offer no further insight as to what caused a drop-off in performance.

Vasseur later elaborated on Hamilton’s issue at the Spanish GP, and said to Sky that the Brit suffered a problem with the car before the safety car but refused to divulge further information on the problem.

Whilst Ferrari are left scratching their heads over Hamilton’s performance, the seven-time champion sits 23 points behind team-mate Leclerc in the drivers’ championship.

Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Charles Leclerc Nico Hulkenberg Sauber Fred Vasseur