Lewis Hamilton‘s highly anticipated first season with Ferrari has failed to deliver the fireworks many expected when the seven-time world champion made his blockbuster switch from Mercedes. The 40-year-old British driver secured just one sprint victory in China throughout 2025, a stark contrast to the ambitious hopes surrounding his arrival at Maranello as Carlos Sainz’s replacement. Communication struggles with race engineer Riccardo Adami and difficulties adapting to the SF-25’s characteristics have left the racing world questioning whether Hamilton can rediscover the form that defined his illustrious career.
Missing spark in Hamilton’s Ferrari campaign
Former racing driver and pundit Tim Coronel has delivered a blunt assessment of Hamilton’s underwhelming season. The Dutchman noted a fundamental shift in Hamilton’s approach that appears to have blunted his competitive edge on track. Where observers expected the veteran champion to stamp his authority on Ferrari immediately, the reality has been a series of frustrating weekends where the Briton struggled to match teammate Charles Leclerc‘s pace and consistency.
The lone bright spot came during the sprint race in China, where Hamilton demonstrated flashes of his legendary racecraft. Yet that isolated success proved impossible to replicate as the season progressed. Coronel observed a concerning lack of aggression and hunger in Hamilton’s racing, suggesting the driver has become overly analytical rather than instinctive in his approach to competition.
Communication breakdown with race engineer
The relationship between Hamilton and Adami has emerged as a critical weak point in Ferrari’s 2025 campaign. Unlike the seamless partnership Hamilton enjoyed with Peter Bonnington during his Mercedes years, the new pairing has struggled to find their rhythm. Radio exchanges have occasionally revealed tension and miscommunication, particularly during crucial strategy windows and setup adjustments.
Coronel drew comparisons to Max Verstappen‘s dynamic with his engineering team, highlighting how constructive criticism and direct communication form the foundation of successful driver-engineer partnerships. The four-time world champion’s ability to provide precise feedback and demand immediate responses stands in contrast to what observers perceive as a more tentative approach from Hamilton at Ferrari.
Leclerc’s dominance within the team
Charles Leclerc has comprehensively outperformed Hamilton throughout the season, establishing himself as Ferrari’s clear number one driver despite the Briton’s superior credentials. The Monegasque driver’s intimate understanding of the SF-25 and his natural aggression behind the wheel have consistently left Hamilton chasing shadows. Coronel specifically referenced Verstappen’s repeated acknowledgment of Leclerc as “the beast,” a nickname earned through their years of intense competition dating back to karting.
The intra-team battle at Ferrari has exposed Hamilton’s difficulties with the current generation of ground-effect machinery. Where Leclerc appears comfortable exploiting the car’s characteristics through technical corners and managing the unpredictable aerodynamic platform, Hamilton has frequently appeared uncomfortable and unable to extract maximum performance from the package.
Ground-effect regulations hampering adaptation
Hamilton’s struggles appear intrinsically linked to the ground-effect aerodynamic regulations that have defined Formula 1 since 2022. The SF-25, like its predecessors, demands a specific driving style that prioritises carrying minimum speed through corners and maintaining the aerodynamic floor’s optimal ride height. This technical requirement seems fundamentally at odds with Hamilton’s preferred approach developed over years with Mercedes’ high-rake concept cars.
The challenge for Ferrari’s technical team centres on whether the 2026 car development can better accommodate Hamilton’s driving preferences without compromising overall performance. Ferrari’s engineers face a delicate balance between optimising for Leclerc’s proven speed and creating a more versatile platform that allows Hamilton to rediscover his competitive instincts.
What this means going forward
Ferrari enters the off-season with significant questions about how to maximise their driver lineup in 2026. Hamilton’s reputation and experience remain valuable assets, but only if the team can unlock the aggressive, instinctive racer that terrorised rivals for over a decade. The development direction for next season’s car becomes crucial, as does resolving the communication issues that have plagued the Hamilton-Adami partnership. Whether the British veteran can adapt his approach or whether Ferrari must adapt their machinery to suit him will define the team’s championship aspirations. The paddock will watch closely during winter testing to see if Hamilton emerges with renewed fire, or if his Ferrari dream continues to fade.
