The British driver is bidding to win an unprecedented championship with the Scuderia. But there are concerns that the current generation of F1 cars simply doesn’t suit him.
Hamilton lost out to new Mercedes teammate George Russell in 2022, the first year of the ground-effect ruleset. He hit back in 2023, outscoring his compatriot by 59 points, but then produced his poorest season ever.
He finished seventh in the standings – his lowest position – but in his defence, the Mercedes was only the fourth-fastest car.
The bigger concern was his performance relative to Russell, who beat him 13-7 in the races and an alarming 19-5 in qualifying.
| Category | George Russell | Lewis Hamilton |
| 2024 points | 245 | 223 |
| Grand Prix results | 15 | 9 |
| Grand Prix qualifying | 18 | 6 |
| Grand Prix wins | 2 | 2 |
| Grand Prix poles | 4 | 0 |
| Grand Prix podiums | 4 | 5 |
| Best finish | 1st | 1st |
| Disqualifications | 1 | 0 |
| Retirements | 1 | 2 |
| Retirements (classified finish) | 1 | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 2 | 2 |
| Grand Prix points finishes | 21 | 21 |
| Sprint results | 5 | 1 |
| Sprint Qualifying | 5 | 1 |
| Sprint wins | 0 | 0 |
| Sprint poles | 0 | 0 |
| Sprint podiums | 1 | 1 |
Hamilton may be pleased that 2025 is the last year of the current ruleset. Or perhaps he puts his relative struggles down to the idiosyncracies of Mercedes’ cars.
F1 will undergo a rules revolution for the 2026 season. But if Charles Leclerc comfortably beats him this year, his confidence may be so low heading into the new era that he can’t return to the elite level.
Ferrari have taken two fundamental risks with their 2025 car. First, they’ve ‘drastically’ changed it from its predecessor, unlike their three main rivals.
Perhaps the biggest tweak is a new front suspension as they shift from push-rod to pull-rod. They have also shortened the gearbox so they can move the engine further back.
Second, they reportedly made these changes at Hamilton’s request. He doesn’t like the cockpit being ‘positioned too far forward’.
Thus, this year’s Ferrari will be ‘tailored specifically’ to the 40-year-old. F1-Insider note that the team haven’t taken a driver-centric approach like this since the days of Schumacher.
If Hamilton’s 2024 woes are in fact symptomatic of an age-related decline, then the gamble from Fred Vasseur may backfire. It could lower the collective ceiling at Ferrari, with Leclerc potentially unsettled.
Indeed, while Leclerc outperformed Sainz over their four years together and beat Sebastian Vettel before him, the team haven’t built the car according to his preferences.
Fernando Alonso didn’t enjoy this privilege either, even as he thrashed Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen.
During the 2016 season, Hamilton raised his seat by five millimetres. He said it felt like a ‘new world’ had appeared.
Clearly, Hamilton places great importance on his seating position. One can understand why given that a driver’s view from the cockpit is restricted.
If he doesn’t perform at Ferrari this year, then it won’t be because the team haven’t supported him. Indeed, there are suggestions that Vasseur has given Hamilton a three-year deal, a request even Toto Wolff refused during Mercedes contract talks.
Hamilton’s track record is unmatched – but that would be a huge show of faith in a driver who’s just turned 40.
