While David Coulthard finds Hamilton’s start to the season “unpleasant to watch,” Jenson Button even finds it “frustrating.”
Former champion Jenson Button and former race winner David Coulthard have analyzed Lewis Hamilton’s start at Ferrari. While Button says it must be “frustrating” for the seven-time world champion, Coulthard called Hamilton’s performances leading up to his home race at Silverstone “unpleasant to watch.”
Hamilton moved to Ferrari at the beginning of 2025 after twelve years with Mercedes – a decision that attracted a lot of attention and high expectations. The Briton had won six of his seven world titles with the German works team. However, after twelve races, he is still in the adjustment phase.
There have been some rays of hope: Hamilton won the sprint race on the second race weekend of the season in China, but was disqualified in the Grand Prix. Fourth place at Silverstone was his best result in a Ferrari so far.
Coulthard told F1.com: “At Silverstone, he looked like he had more control. Until then – apart from China – it was uncomfortable to watch him. He didn’t look as fast as Charles [Leclerc].”
He added: “I don’t think any team has anything against a fast Ferrari, after all, it’s the biggest name in the history of the sport. But at Silverstone, it looked like he had found his feet better. Whether that was just down to home advantage remains to be seen.”
Button sees language and cultural barriers
Button, who drove alongside Hamilton at McLaren from 2010 to 2012, emphasized the challenges of changing teams – especially from a British/German environment to an Italian structure. “You expect Lewis to be up front, at least on the same level as his teammate, if not better. We haven’t seen that so far this year,” said Button.
“Changing teams is always difficult, especially when it’s not a British team. Ferrari is Italian, which he’s not familiar with, except perhaps from karting. Charles speaks the language and is firmly integrated – that doesn’t make it any easier.”
At the same time, Button is convinced: “If anyone can be competitive with this car, it’s Lewis. It’s only a matter of time, but it’s certainly frustrating for him that he can’t yet fully exploit the car’s potential.”
At the halfway point of the season, Hamilton is sixth in the drivers’ standings with 103 points, while his teammate Leclerc is fifth with 119 points.
