Lewis Hamilton’s Saudi Arabia GP was an underwhelming affair, crossing the line in 7th place as he struggled for performance in the SF-25.
Teammate Charles Leclerc executed a very impressive race to claim a podium for Ferrari, finishing the race over 30 seconds ahead of Hamilton.
The 7-time Champion’s tone has been increasingly negative over recent weeks – and he doesn’t anticipate a change in the near future.
Hamilton sees no solutions for poor form
During his final campaign at Mercedes, there was a growing sense that Hamilton’s time with the Silver Arrows had reached it’s natural conclusion.
The 40-year-old was clearly unhappy with the handling of his Mercedes, particularly in qualifying.
By the time last year ended, his move to Ferrari appeared a necessary change of scenery.
Unfortunately for Hamilton, his early performance with the Scuderia has fallen short of expectations.
Aside from his Sprint Race win in China, the British driver has regularly found himself a few steps behind teammate Charles Leclerc.
Although Ferrari’s SF-25 lacks the pace to challenge McLaren, Hamilton is unhappy with his gap to Leclerc.
Whilst the Monegasque successfully claimed a podium and managed to fend off Lando Norris, Hamilton spent most of his race hovering around P7.
He was the slowest of the drivers in the top four teams, which obviously does not sit well with him.
Speaking post-race in Jeddah, the Ferrari driver was transparent about the situation:
“Nothing positive to take from today, apart from Charles on the podium – which is great for the team.
“It was horrible, not enjoyable at all. I was just sliding around – it’s pretty bad.
“I don’t have an answer, I don’t know how much longer I’ll struggle for. But it’s definitely painful.
“Just going to try and improve from week to week. At the moment, there is no fix, so this is how it’s going to be for the rest of the year.
“It’s going to be painful,” Hamilton admitted.
“In qualifying, it’s me extracting performance, and in the race I tried everything – and the car just didn’t want to go any quicker.”
A dynamic for Ferrari to manage
Of course, it is not necessarily unusual for a driver to experience difficulties at a new team.
Several drivers across the field have spoken extensively about the tricky adaptation phase in Formula 1.
With that said, the form Hamilton is showing – coupled with his pessimistic outlook – will be a concern for Ferrari.
Other drivers, from Carlos Sainz to Esteban Ocon, have managed to deliver strong results at new teams.
Even 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli is keeping teammate George Russell honest in his rookie F1 campaign.
Considering the blockbuster nature of Ferrari’s acquisition of Lewis Hamilton, not to mention the financial expenditure to secure his signature, an uptick in form is necessary.
With regards to a Championship fight, the Scuderia’s chances of contending in 2025 are already slim.
However, in their fight with Mercedes and Red Bull, they need both drivers to fire on all cylinders.
The 2026 regulations might provide a reset in twelve months time, but a scenario where Hamilton is potentially writing off this year is certainly one that Fred Vasseur will want to avoid.
