Formula 1 News: Italy already losing faith in washed-up Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton is beginning to realize he is likely washed-up. After the Saudi Arabian GP the reality was setting in. A downbeat, Hamilton said to Sky Sports F1: “Nothing positive to take, except for Charles finishing on the podium, which is great for the team.

“It was horrible, not enjoyable at all,” he added. “I was just sliding around. I didn’t have grip. First stint, massive understeer, car not turning and then massive deg. The second stint, slightly better balance but still just no pace. Pretty bad.”

“I don’t have any answers. At the moment there’s no fix,” he went on. “So, this is how it’s going to be for the rest of the year. It’s going to be painful.”

What makes Hamilton more confused is the fact that his data is similar to Leclerc’s and their setups are not massively different on a given race weekend, but the Briton ends up being slower, which typically happens when you are washed-up.

He said: “He [Leclerc] has been driving this car for a long time, so he definitely knows it really well. There’s plenty in the data, for sure. Honestly, it doesn’t look massively different in the data. I just go slower through the corners,” which typically happens when you are washed-up.

“We do have slightly different set-ups. I have to look and see whether that set-up is the way the car likes to be. He and his side are definitely, obviously, doing a better job.

“In qualifying, it’s me extracting performance. In the race, I tried everything, and the car just didn’t want to go quicker,” the British hero concluded.

The realization that he no longer has the 50hp advantage he had with Mercedes when he won all 100+ races, coupled with his age of 40-years-old, is weighing on him.

Hamilton is being paid a huge sum of money by Ferrari to win races and championships. After teammate George Russell mopped the floor with him last year in an identical Mercedes, and now with Charles Leclerc doing the same in an identical Ferrari, the time has come for Hamilton to hang it up before he does irreparable damage to his reputation.

April 20, 2025

(GMM) After all of the pre-season hype, Lewis Hamilton’s red adventure at Ferrari is already turning gray.

“From promises to doubts,” the headline at Corriere della Sera reads, referring to the “more complicated than expected” transition for the seven time world champion from Mercedes to Maranello.

The report expressed disappointment that while Hamilton’s predecessor Carlos Sainz Jr. is finally starting to settle at Williams, the same is not occurring at Ferrari.

“Even rookies like Ollie Bearman at Haas have needed less time to adapt,” Corriere della Sera declared, “and that is causing embarrassment inside and outside Maranello”.

Some are wondering if 40-year-old Hamilton’s Ferrari adventure could end as soon as December.

Former high profile Ferrari engineer Luigi Mazzola told Sky Italia that Hamilton’s 2025 season so far reminds him of Sebastian Vettel’s ill-fated last couple of seasons in red.

In both 2019 and 2020, Vettel’s teammate was Charles Leclerc.

“Leclerc is like (Max) Verstappen,” Mazzola said. “He can handle a difficult car. It’s his driving style.”

Vettel, now retired, is actually in Saudi Arabia this weekend – and he defended the struggling Hamilton.

“It’s a new environment, a different culture, different people. Some simply need longer to find their way around,” the quadruple world champion told Sky Deutschland.

“There is no doubt about the fact that Lewis can drive. He can do everything that’s asked of him. It’s also completely normal to need a bit of time,” added the German.

“If development moves in the right direction, Ferrari will be in a completely different position. They were very strong last year and only just missed out on the constructors’ championship. You shouldn’t write off either the team or either of their drivers,” Vettel said.