What to make of Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s latest comments and whether the record champion already regrets his move to Formula 1
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton expressed disappointment after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. He said he had “no answer” to questions about his current form, saw “no solution” to his ongoing problems and expected no improvement “for the rest of the year.” But can a Formula 1 record champion simply write off a year like that?
Former Grand Prix winner Ralf Schumacher does not take Hamilton’s comments at face value and said on the Sky podcast “Backstage Boxengasse”: “If he’s really giving up now, that would be very early. I can hardly believe it.”
Schumacher, on the other hand, believes that Hamilton will improve soon: “Expectations are high. I mean, Ferrari wants to see something for its money. That means Lewis has to make sure he delivers the performance – and he’ll probably do that.”
The sprint victory at the Chinese Grand Prix is proof that Hamilton basically has the speed. ‘That wasn’t a coincidence,’ says Schumacher. ”It’s not like he can’t do it. Lewis just needs to find the conditions and the car that suit him. And there will be race tracks that suit him.”
On the other hand, Hamilton can’t afford to just wait and see, Schumacher believes: “Of course, he also has to make progress. He can’t slump and give up. But it takes time.”
Is Hamilton already giving up?
Or is Hamilton already resigning himself to the fact that the move to Ferrari hasn’t paid off so far? Is Hamilton perhaps even regretting leaving Mercedes now that George Russell is fourth in the championship standings after three podium finishes in five Grands Prix?
Ralf Schumacher says: “I don’t think so. I think he was looking for a challenge, and it was also time. Things weren’t going particularly well at Mercedes.”
“But anyway, when he sees the car today, he might think, ‘I should have stayed a little longer.’ But a decision like that is a gut decision. And he made it very early on. We shouldn’t forget that.”
What might have bothered Hamilton about Mercedes
Schumacher suspects that there was already “a bit of tension” between Hamilton and Mercedes when Hamilton was still driving for the brand with the star logo. “I think it bothered him that Mercedes didn’t want to commit to him for the long term. It’s also a question of age.”
Now 40, Hamilton is one of the oldest Formula 1 drivers on the grid. His successor, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, is just 18 years old and only recently got his driver’s license.
That’s why Schumacher thinks Hamilton “hurt a little” at Mercedes with his comments about age. That could also have been a reason for his move to Ferrari. “Lewis is a very emotional person. I think that’s great and it’s to his credit,” says Schumacher.
Hamilton is behind Leclerc in the team duel
And so Hamilton’s comments after Saudi Arabia may have been made in the heat of the moment – after what he considered a poor performance, also in comparison to his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc. The long-time Ferrari driver clearly leads the team duel against newcomer Hamilton with 4:1 in qualifying and 4:0 in the Grands Prix.
If Hamilton really were to write off the 2025 season, his standing in the team would not improve. “Then the team would naturally focus completely on Charles,” explains Ralf Schumacher. “And that would mean that the car would continue to be geared more towards him. Because a team cannot develop two cars individually at the same time. And that would make the outcome very clear.”