Category: Lewis hamilton news

 

Lewis Hamilton is going in search of a record-extending 10th win at Silverstone.

 

Lewis Hamilton has credited “the love from the fans” to help him towards his record-breaking success at the British Grand Prix.

 

The Ferrari driver took a record ninth victory at his home race last season, though he is still searching for his first win with his new team.

 

Lewis Hamilton: Silverstone ‘more than just a race track’

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

 

Hamilton heads into his home race off the back of a fourth-place finish last time out in Austria, one place behind team-mate Charles Leclerc.

 

While the seven-time World Champion’s move to Maranello was confirmed before last year’s British Grand Prix, he was able to score one more victory at home for Mercedes in 2024, in an emotional moment as he returned to the top step of the podium.

 

With the achievements he has managed around Silverstone over the years, he admitted the race brings with it memories of “unforgettable highs” in his career.

 

“Yeah, absolutely,” Hamilton replied to media including PlanetF1.com when asked if he was looking forward to his home race for the first time with the Scuderia.

 

“Still loving being at Ferrari and [looking forward to] going and seeing the British flag with some red caps there.”

 

Having taken more victories around Silverstone than any other driver, his ninth win there coming in dramatic fashion in 2024, Hamilton knows more than most about what it takes to succeed at the British circuit.

 

He attributes that success not just to the machinery he has driven, but the support he has received from his home crowd.

 

“Silverstone has always been more than just a race track for me,” Hamilton said.

 

“I’ve had some of the most unforgettable highs with the crowd right there behind me, but coming here with Ferrari for the first time is something really special.

 

“I have so much history with this track, and for Ferrari to now be part of that story means a lot to me. I’m proud to wear red here, and I can’t wait to experience that incredible home crowd energy again.

 

“There are a few sections that really stand out, but Copse into Maggotts and Becketts – that’s just something else. It’s so fast and, when you get it right, it feels like you’re flying.

 

“But what makes Silverstone so special for me is the atmosphere. There’s a reason I’ve stood on the podium so many times here, and that’s the love from the fans.

 

“From my first win in 2008, to my ninth last year, the crowd is always with me, and no matter where I am on the track, I can feel their energy from inside the cockpit.”

 

Lewis Hamilton is still waiting for a first Ferrari podium but was “very proud” of the team’s efforts as he finished fourth at the Austrian Grand Prix; watch the British Grand Prix this week with Sunday’s race at 3pm, live on Sky Sports and Sky Showcase

 

 

 

Lewis Hamilton says Ferrari made 'mega progress' this weekend, which saw the team secure a third and fourth place finish.

Lewis Hamilton says Ferrari made ‘mega progress’ this weekend, which saw the team secure a third and fourth place finish at the Austrian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari have made “mega progress” after he matched his best result of the 2025 Formula 1 season with fourth at the Austrian Grand Prix.

 

Hamilton described Ferrari’s operations as “world-class” when he qualified a season’s best fourth and was still upbeat about his race performance, despite finishing 10 seconds behind team-mate Charles Leclerc, who scored his fourth podium this season.

 

Ferrari brought a new floor to Austria in a bid to get closer to the front and only McLaren outpaced them in Sunday’s race, as Mercedes’ George Russell finished over half a minute behind Hamilton.

 

“Mega progress for us as a team, so we have to say a huge thank you again to the guys at the factory for bringing the upgrade this weekend,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1.

 

“It didn’t seem much on paper. It was really a small step, but perhaps it had a bigger influence on our performance.

 

“For us to be the second fastest team this weekend, we’re not a minute down from McLaren, which is positive. To bag some really strong points, I’m definitely happy with it.”

 

Sky Sports F1 speak to Bernie Ecclestone over the future of Max Verstappen, Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton.

Bernie Ecclestone believes Lewis Hamilton won’t win a record-breaking eighth F1 title

Hamilton will be confident heading into his home event at the British Grand Prix this week, where he has won at a record nine times.

 

The seven-time world champion says he’s “really proud” of Ferrari’s efforts at the Red Bull Ring.

 

“I think everyone in the team will be happier. I think definitely the guys back at the factory can be proud of the work they’ve done,” he said.

 

“Everyone here has definitely been a lot calmer and more methodical this weekend, definitely a better output from the team.”

 

Lewis Hamilton was upbeat after a 'fantastic' qualifying performance, which saw the Ferrari driver take fourth for the race on Sunday.

Lewis Hamilton was upbeat after his best Saturday qualifying of the year

Leclerc: Ferrari working in right direction

Ferrari have been unable to run their car low to the ground due to an issue with the rear suspension this year, which has cost them performance.

 

Both Leclerc and Hamilton were disqualified at the Chinese Grand Prix, so the team have been working to design the car in a way where they can run the car low, without overwearing the plank.

 

Leclerc has stood on the podium three times from the last four events, which underlines Ferrari’s progress, albeit they are still a long way off McLaren.

 

final lap austrian gp

McLaren’s Lando Norris fought team-mate Oscar Piastri to take the win at the Austrian GP after a race-long battle

“We are working in the right direction. I think we’ve brought some upgrades this weekend which helped us to close the gap a little bit,” Leclerc told Sky Sports F1.

 

“The gap is still significant unfortunately and we’ve got to push in order to bring as many upgrades as possible as soon as possible in order to close that gap.

 

“But it’s been a positive weekend overall, I think. I’m happy that we’ve maximised our potential, now we’ve got to have a better potential.”

 

Highlights from an enthralling Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring.

Highlights from an enthralling Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring

Ferrari will look to replicate last year when they made major progress with their car development as the season went on and finished just 14 points behind champions McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship.

 

Leclerc and Hamilton have not had a realistic chance of winning a Grand Prix in 2025, which the Monegasque driver hopes will happen.

 

“Just for the people back in Maranello, for the people at the track, for us drivers as well, to know that we can turn the situation around and be competitive again, it’s very important for everyone. It would be really nice [to win],” he said.

 

“However, by the season end, I think it’s going to be very unlikely to turn the situation around to a point where we can win the Constructors’ Championship because the points difference is very significant and I don’t see why McLaren will start doing a really bad job from now on.

 

“We need to keep our head down, keep working very hard, and whatever we can still learn this season, we need to learn it.”

 

Next up in the 2025 Formula 1 season is the big one, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone – live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Showcase with coverage from Thursday to Sunday’s race at 3pm. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime.

 

Lewis Hamilton smiling with an inset of Max Verstappen looking unimpressed

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen: the best of enemies

 

Lewis Hamilton has quipped that he “won’t be bumping into anybody” at the start of the Austrian Grand Prix as Max Verstappen “isn’t up there” at the front.

 

It comes just weeks after Verstappen, the Red Bull driver and reigning four-time World Champion, was involved in an ugly collision with George Russell’s Mercedes in Spain.

 

Lewis Hamilton makes Max Verstappen quip ahead of Austrian Grand Prix

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

 

Hamilton enjoyed one of his strongest qualifying sessions so far with Ferrari on Saturday in Austria to secure fourth on the grid, putting himself within a tenth of team-mate Charles Leclerc, who will start second.

 

The seven-time World Champion’s result came on the weekend Ferrari introduced a new floor to the SF-25 car with the hope of getting its disappointing campaign back on track.

 

Verstappen, a five-time winner at the Red Bull Ring, was left stranded in seventh after yellow flags for Pierre Gasly’s spinning Alpine compromised his final Q3 lap.

 

The Red Bull driver remains on the brink of a one-race ban after making contact with Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix, where he appeared to deliberately make contact with the Mercedes, earlier this month.

 

Two penalty points are set to be wiped from Verstappen’s tally on Monday, when his clash with McLaren driver Lando Norris in last year’s Austrian Grand Prix falls out of his 12-month window.

 

Speaking to media including PlanetF1.com after qualifying in Austria, Hamilton could not resist making a quip at Verstappen’s expense as he looked ahead to the start.

 

Put to him that the Austrian GP tends to be a race in which “people bump into each other” fighting over the lead, Hamilton joked: “Max isn’t up there, so…

 

“I won’t be bumping into anybody, that’s for sure.”

 

Hamilton’s comment comes after Russell quipped that he would use Verstappen’s disciplinary situation to his advantage after qualifying in Canada – a comment Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal, took issue with.

 

Hamilton’s fine qualifying result came after he struggled in Friday practice at the Red Bull Ring, telling his Ferrari race engineer Riccardo Adami over team radio at one stage during FP2: “For some reason I’ve just got no pace, mate.”

 

The 40-year-old revealed that the team’s changes overnight were key to his turnaround, describing Austria as his most efficient qualifying session since he joined Ferrari.

 

He said: “Definitely made some progress overnight.

 

“I was much happier with car in P3 and the direction we went, I think, has been really positive.

 

“I think edging closer in terms of performance to Charles, who’s really, really used to the Ferrari. He hardly ever changes it.

 

“So I think that’s real positive. I think also I had more time in the lap.

 

“I was nearly three tenths up going into Turn 6 and I had a massive snap going in and then I came across the line 0.6s up, so that would have put me second.

 

“So there’s positives in it, for sure, and I think operationally the team did a really great job today.

 

“It’s the best qualifying process operationally that we’ve done, I think.”

 

Pressed on the impact of Ferrari’s revised floor, he added: “It definitely helped to extract more from the floors this weekend.

 

“It was a really small step.

 

“There’s degradation in the floors, so a new floor is always a little bit better. And then on top of that, the step of improvement in performance.

 

“So I’m really thankful to the team for back at the factory for the work they’ve put in to make it.”

 

Under-pressure Ferrari produce best qualifying result of the season with Charles Leclerc on front row and Lewis Hamilton fourth; watch the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday at 2pm with build-up from 12.30pm, live on Sky Sports F1 and Main Event

 

 

 

Lewis Hamilton was upbeat after a 'fantastic' qualifying performance, which saw the Ferrari driver take fourth for the race on Sunday.

Lewis Hamilton was upbeat after a ‘fantastic’ qualifying performance, which saw the Ferrari driver take fourth for the race on Sunday

Lewis Hamilton hailed Ferrari’s “world-class” execution of Austrian Grand Prix qualifying as they achieved the best grid positions of their disappointing season so far.

 

Charles Leclerc unexpectedly split the dominant McLarens to take second on the grid and equal Ferrari’s best Grand Prix qualifying result of the season, while Hamilton made it onto the second row in fourth for the first time at the Scuderia.

 

Ferrari have introduced a new floor onto their underperforming SF-25 car for this weekend and Hamilton, who qualified within a tenth of a second of both Leclerc and third-placed Oscar Piastri, told Sky Sports F1: “It’s a fantastic result. The team have worked really hard back at the factory to bring us a new floor this weekend.

 

“Considering yesterday we were a lot further off, for us to be much closer and on the second row is really fantastic. And for Charles on the front row too.

 

“My last lap wasn’t perfect. I think if I’d finished it, I would have been second, so there are lots of positives to take out from that session.

 

“Also, I think it’s been the best day operationally, particularly through qualifying. Just timings, the information we’re getting in terms of traffic and positioning on track, I think was really the best and proper world-class, so that’s what we’ve been working towards.”

 

Highlights from qualifying at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Highlights from qualifying at the Austrian Grand Prix

Ferrari – and team principal Frederic Vasseur in particular – have come in for pressure in the Italian media in recent weeks, approaching the halfway mark of a season in which the Scuderia’s pre-season title ambitions have emphatically fallen flat.

 

Given that external pressure on F1’s biggest and most-famous team, Hamilton said: “Ultimately we continue to pull together and protect each other and block out all the noise, and just keep our heads down.

 

“It’s an incredible team. I’m working with Fred, we’re working to put all the pieces of the puzzle in the right place, but step by step. It can’t be done in one go.

 

“We’ve just got to keep working on it, but I’m really happy with the progress we are making.”

 

‘I’m just going to stay quiet’ – Can Hamilton finally end podium wait?

Although he won the Sprint race on his second appearance for Ferrari at March’s Chinese GP, and then took third at the season’s second short-form Saturday race in Miami in May, Hamilton’s last official podium finish in F1 came last November when still a Mercedes driver at the Las Vegas GP.

 

The seven-time world champion is on a run of 12 races without a top-three finish, just one fewer than the worst sequence of his illustrious 18-year F1 career.

 

“Every race, I’ve been saying I can’t wait to get that first podium, so I’m not going to say that today!” said Hamilton.

 

“I’m just going to stay quiet and try to do a better job tomorrow.”

 

Max Verstappen was left frustrated after only qualifying seventh for Sunday's race, while Anthony Davidson was at the SkyPad to see whether a yellow flag ruined his hopes of getting pole position.

Max Verstappen was left frustrated after only qualifying seventh for Sunday’s race, while Anthony Davidson was at the SkyPad to see whether a yellow flag ruined his hopes of getting pole position

Leclerc to make ‘McLaren’s life as tough as possible’

Ferrari’s cause was certainly helped by the fact that both Piastri and Verstappen were scuppered on their respective final laps of qualifying by yellow flags at the final corner when Alpine’s Pierre Gasly spun. Leclerc’s gap to polesitter Lando Norris was also just over half a second.

 

Still, outperforming Canadian GP victors Mercedes and challenging Red Bull’s Verstappen to be McLaren’s closest challengers all weekend, Leclerc took the clear positives from the upgraded car’s performance.

 

“The upgrades definitely helped us,” he said. “How much? It’s difficult to know, especially when you see how fine the margins are – apart from Lando – but it definitely helped us to get the front row, so for that we should be proud of the work done.

 

George Russell almost caused an accident in the pit lane after an unsafe release from Mercedes during qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix.

George Russell almost caused an accident in the pit lane during qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix after being released into the path of the Ferraris

“Apart from that, I think we did a great job. We worked very well this weekend and I’m looking forward to tomorrow because most of the time our race car is better than our qualifying car.

 

Asked if he could challenge for the victory, Leclerc replied: “I will give it all. We will see, I don’t have the answers for now.

 

“The gap is very big today but tomorrow with tyre management, I think that we have a good car on that. Whether it will be as good as McLaren, I don’t know, but I will do absolutely everything to make McLaren’s life as tough as possible.”

 

Sky Sports F1’s Austrian GP schedule

Sunday June 29

7.25am: F3 Feature Race

8.55am: F2 Feature Race

10.40am: Porsche Supercup

12.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Austrian GP build-up*

2pm:

k

 

*also on Sky Sports Main Event

 

Next up for the 2025 Formula 1 season is a return to Europe for the Austrian Grand Prix, which is live on Sky Sports F1 this weekend. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime.

 

 

Toto Wolff has weighed in on Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari struggles

 

Driving style, mojo and nationality could all be playing a role in Lewis Hamilton’s slow start to life as a Ferrari driver according to his former Mercedes F1 team boss Toto Wolff.

 

Hamilton’s move to Ferrari after 12 seasons and six World titles with Mercedes was expected to rejuvenate both the driver and the team as they chased championship glory.

 

Toto Wolff weighs in on Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari struggles

Seven-time World Champion Hamilton won his most recent World Championship in 2020, while Ferrari’s barren run stretches back to 2008 with Kimi Raikkonen having won the title the year before.

 

But the hype of Formula 1’s most successful driver joining the sport’s longest-serving team has waned.

 

Although Hamilton has a Sprint pole and victory, the Briton is still chasing his first podium in red, never mind race wins or the title.

 

After 10 races, he is P6 in the standings, 119 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri.

 

It begs the question: what’s going on with Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari?

 

That was put to the 40-year-old’s former team principal at Mercedes, Wolff, in the recent Bloomberg Hot Pursuit podcast.

 

The Austrian believes there are probably three factors in play: a new car, a completely different environment having only ever raced for British teams in F1, and Hamilton is still finding his feet.

 

“You don’t unlearn driving that quickly,” said Wolff. “In 2021, he was great. Then the regulations changed, and it got a little more difficult, but he was still performing at a very high level.

 

“Just by changing teams, suddenly you don’t lose your skills.

 

“Everybody needs a period of adaptation: different car, different DNA in how the vehicle drives, a new engineering team that you need to start working together.

 

“Then you have to be involved in the continuous development of the car so it suits your driving style.

 

“It’s an all-Italian team, and he’s a British guy parachuted in there. And that takes time.

 

“Also, we’ve seen a bit of a pattern that Lewis, at the beginning of the season, needs to find his mojo and the second half of the season has always been very strong.

 

“So don’t ever write Lewis Hamilton off.”

 

Hamilton has been notably frustrated in recent weeks as he has made repeated calls for the SF-25 to be upgraded.

 

“We’re really in need of an upgrade and there’s a lot of things that need to change for us to compete at the front,” he reiterated in Canada.

 

“I think we have something coming hopefully next week, but I don’t know if it’s much, I don’t know how much it is, I don’t think it’s going to be a lot.

 

“So it’s just one of those years.”

 

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has confirmed that an upgrade is coming, it could even be on the car at the next race in Austria.

 

“We will have an upgrade soon, before the UK. And, perhaps, another one a bit later,” Vasseur said. “But, honestly, today, I think there is much more in the execution and what you are getting from the car than in the potential of the car itself.”

 

 

 

 

 

Lewis Hamilton was on his usual form as he stepped onto the red carpet of the F1 movie world premiere last night as he stood in front of cameras wearing a Dior outfit. He attended the event as a producer of the movie, but as expected, brought his usual flare to the evening.

 

Wearing a Bar Peak Lapel jacket coloured in a light pink, tailored tightly around his waist, he paired it with a floral broach – a piece that was – interestingly – shaped like a goat, as pointed out by social media. Black trousers sat beneath the jacket and black Dior shoes with bows finished the look. The whole outfit was directly from the Dior Men Fall line of this year.

 

The seven-time world champion has been an ambassador of Dior since 2024. In fact, he was personally chosen by the creative director at Dior Menswear, Kim Jones.

 

Jones said the following in a statement released at the time.

 

“We share a love of nature, a desire to celebrate Africa and an interest in the artisanal process and techniques that unite craftspeople in Africa with the savoir-faire of the Dior ateliers.

 

“Added to that, this collection also reflects Lewis’ sporting side, his virtuosity and our functionality. All in all, the way things came together happened very organically and enjoyably.”

 

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

 

Photo by: James Sutton / Motorsport Images via Getty Images

 

The world premiere also welcomed the likes of Brad Pitt, leading the F1 movie alongside Damson Idris who wore a 3-piece pinstripe suit by Prada with no shirt.

 

“I wanted something that felt modern and sophisticated,” he told Vogue. “It was important to me to wear something that honoured that. It means a lot to celebrate this night and all that I’ve built.”

 

Pitt wore a navy double-breasted suit with black lapels and a salmon pink shirt, almost identical to George Russell’s as the pair spotted when they bumped into each other while speaking to Craig Slater of Sky Sports.

 

The F1 movie will be released globally on 25 June and in the United States two days later.

 

 

 

 

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has received the full backing of his two drivers after a wave of stories about his future at the team. There was talk in Italy that Vasseur could pay the price for a disappointing season.

 

Heading into round 10 at the Canadian Grand Prix, Ferrari are 197 points behind McLaren. They have scored just three podiums in nine events and have virtually no chance of winning the championship from here.

 

Recent reports claimed Vasseur has just three races to save his job. His contract expires at the end of the year and there have apparently been no talks over an extension.

 

Position Constructors’ Standings Points

1

McLaren Racing

362

2

Scuderia Ferrari

165

3

Mercedes-AMG Petronas

159

4

Red Bull Racing

144

Ferrari scoffed at the speculation over Vasseur, refusing to dignify it with a response. That suggests the Frenchman remains on solid ground.

 

Lewis Hamilton has publicly stated that Vasseur is the reason he’s at Ferrari, and reiterated his belief that the 57-year-old will lead the team to the top. Charles Leclerc expressed a similar sentiment, saying that the 2023 appointee should be allowed to implement his vision.

 

Lewis Hamilton sticks up for Ferrari team principal as Michael Schumacher once did

Auto Motor und Sport journalist Michael Schmidt notes that Hamilton’s statement is ‘reminiscent’ of what Michael Schumacher said in his first year at Ferrari. Schumacher finished third in the 1996 standings, well adrift of champion Damon Hill.

 

Ferrari also scored less than half the points of a dominant Williams outfit, winning just three races. This put pressure on team manager Jean Todt, who hadn’t furnished his blockbuster signing with a contending car.

 

 

However, Schumacher declared that ‘if Todt goes, I’ll go too’ in a clear message to the Ferrari hierarchy. That ‘put an end’ to the scrutiny on Vasseur’s compatriot.

 

While Hamilton hasn’t been quite as emphatic – his stock isn’t necessarily as high as Schumacher right now after an underwhelming start – he too has made it clear that he’s strongly opposed to a change.

 

Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari looks on in the garage

 

Hamilton worked with Vasseur in the junior categories, so their relationship dates back more than 20 years. Schumacher and Todt went on to win five straight championships between 2000 and 2004.

 

Former Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali reveals what he’s now told Fred Vasseur

Speaking to L’Equipe, former Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali – now the CEO of Formula 1 – relayed the passionate advice he’d given Vasseur. Domenicali delivered the teams’ last title – the 2008 constructors’.

 

“I told him, and I’m telling you officially: I believe in him!” he said. “He must not fall into the trap of weakening in the face of these attacks, because they always come. Let him work in peace, that’s how Ferrari will return to the top.”

 

Domenicali resigned from his position at Ferrari in 2014, with Marco Mattiacci arriving as a short-lived replacement. Maurizio Arrivabene and Mattia Binotto have tried and failed to end the team’s drought since.

 

Martin Brundle says Ferrari would be ‘nuts’ to let Vasseur go right now. He’s adamant that a change of leadership isn’t the solution to the team’s problems.

 

Charles Leclerc has drawn upon Lewis Hamilton’s experience

Charles Leclerc has opened up on how Lewis Hamilton has “surprised” him both inside and outside the car in their time as team-mates at Ferrari to date in Formula 1.

 

Hamilton is six months into his long-awaited maiden season with Ferrari, one that hasn’t lived up to the expectations that surrounded his winter move from Mercedes.

 

Leclerc has out-raced Hamilton on all but one occasion in the opening nine races, though the seven-time F1 champion did secure Ferrari’s only win in the China Sprint.

 

Hamilton has admitted that his adaptation at Ferrari has been tougher than he envisaged, a process that the Italian marque’s troublesome SF-25 car has exacerbated.

 

But despite that, Leclerc has noted that his team-mate’s notorious prowess on the brakes is one element that has remained prominent during his initial months in red.

 

“I expected many, many things from Lewis, obviously, joining the team and having so much success,” Leclerc told media including Motorsport Week in Canada.

 

“In F1, you kind of expect to see the speed, the special things in terms of driving. So all these kind of things were expected.

 

“I still got surprised with the way he brakes, by example. I think how late he brakes is very, very, very impressive.

 

“In my career, I’ve always been the one braking later than my team-mates. And that is a particular driving style that I didn’t really see in any of my team-mates.

 

“I think Lewis is a step ahead even more so in that direction. So that surprised me.”

 

Lewis Hamilton trails his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc by 23 points in the Drivers’ Standings

Charles Leclerc has been learning from Lewis Hamilton inside and outside the car

Hamilton providing an ‘example’ to Leclerc

However, Leclerc detailed that observing how Hamilton manages his time to ensure his various outside interests don’t impact his racing has impressed him the most.

 

The Monegasque, who runs his own ice cream brand ‘LEC’, explained that he is drawing on his team-mate’s expertise in that regard to handle his external endeavours.

 

“But then for the rest, I think the rest is what surprised me the most. And it’s things that I did not expect,” he continued.

 

“His discipline is very, very impressive. From outside, I obviously remember I was seeing him and managing so many different things. And I was like, ‘this has to be hard.’

 

“But then when you look at how organised everything is, you can understand that he’s just 200 per cent focused on racing.

 

“And then everything is super well organised for these other projects to run very smoothly without his implications daily.

 

“That’s something that I take as an example for me, because we’ve all got passions, we’ve all got projects outside racing.

 

“But obviously, for all of us, the most important is that we stay focused on racing. And I think on that, Lewis is very, very impressive.”

 

Lewis Hamilton poses in Ferrari overalls with a prominent Ferrari logo alongside him against a red background

Lewis Hamilton joined Ferrari from Mercedes at the start of F1 2025

 

Lewis Hamilton may “already” be thinking of retiring from Formula 1 after a difficult start to the F1 2025 season with Ferrari.

 

That is the claim of Derek Warwick, the active FIA steward, who believes the former Mercedes driver “deserves” to win a record eighth World Championship.

 

Could Lewis Hamilton just give up and walk away from Ferrari?

Hamilton arrived at Ferrari last winter with hopes of ending his extended search for a record eighth World Championship.

 

Yet despite converting pole position into victory in the China sprint race in March, the former Mercedes driver has struggled for pace alongside new team-mate Charles Leclerc.

 

Hamilton has finished no higher than fourth on a Sunday in Ferrari colours, with Leclerc claiming all of the team’s three podium finishes so far in F1 2025.

 

Warwick, who most recently appeared as a steward at last month’s Miami Grand Prix, believes Hamilton may have underestimated the challenge of joining a new team after 12 seasons with Mercedes between 2013 and 2024.

 

And he fears Hamilton will walk away from F1 entirely if he does not find a breakthrough soon.

 

Warwick told a gambling platform: “I don’t know why Lewis Hamilton can’t get going in a Ferrari. I think that’s an enigma really.

 

“I think we all saw him moving to Ferrari as a great opportunity to win his eighth world title.

 

“The car is not to his liking at the minute. Most critics will say he’s a seven-times World Champion, 105 grand prix wins, surely you adapt to the car you’ve got, because Charles has.

 

“But for some reason he can’t get used to it. I think people underestimate, including Lewis, maybe how difficult it is to join a new team.

 

“How to get used to their systems, their debriefs, getting them to understand what you want and vice versa.

 

“And the most important thing on the car is probably the steering wheel because there are so many different adjustments you can do to the steering wheel, maybe he hasn’t quite got on top of that.

 

“Do I want Lewis to win races and challenge for the World Championship?

 

“Yes. I think he deserves it. I think he deserves that eighth world title.

 

“It’s not going to happen this year. And I think if it carries on the way it is at the minute, I suspect he’s already thinking of stopping.

 

“I don’t see him running half a second behind Charles, and also running in sixth, seventh and eighth place.

 

“He’s had enough of that for the last three years, with Mercedes, so he needs to get a bit of confidence back.

 

“In China, when he won the sprint race, I thought that was the turning point, but the car’s still not to his liking.”

 

Warwick’s latest comments come after he defended the FIA’s decision to impose a 10-second penalty and three penalty points on Verstappen for his ugly clash with Mercedes driver George Russell at the recent Spanish Grand Prix.

 

Nico Rosberg, the 2016 World Champion and former Mercedes driver, led calls for Verstappen to be disqualified on the spot for the collision at Turn 5, claiming the World Champion appeared to “ram [Russell] full on.”

 

However, Warwick has defended the punishment handed out to Verstappen, describing it as the “perfect” course of action to the Red Bull driver’s “absolutely wrong” act.

 

He said: “I think everyone has to realise that if you are a driver who is used to winning like Max, it is very difficult when things go against you in a race that on paper, with three stops, looks like you could win.

 

“And we all know he’s a winner.

 

“Should he have done what he did, in Turn 5 with George Russell? Absolutely not. Did he get a penalty for that? Yes.

 

“Sebastian Vettel was once given a 10-second drive-through penalty in Baku after an incident with Lewis Hamilton [in 2017], but he deliberately drove into Lewis.

 

“Whereas if you watch this video, it seems to me that although he dove in, he then did turn away from George, but momentum pushed him against George.

 

“It is absolutely wrong and the FIA was right to give him a penalty.

 

“I think many people would say he should have been given a suspension as an example to young karters, and they are probably right, but I think the penalty was perfect.

 

“You have to look at each incident individually. This is not what I like to see.”

 

Warwick’s comments are likely to reignite the debate over a conflict of interest among FIA stewards following a high-profile case involving Johnny Herbert, the three-time F1 race winner, last season.

 

Herbert left his role as an FIA steward ahead of the F1 2025 season after repeatedly criticising Verstappen on gambling platforms last year.

 

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the president of the FIA, acknowledged earlier this year that Herbert’s position in the stewards’ room had become untenable alongside his media work.

 

David Coulthard admits Lewis Hamilton left him ‘totally confused’ with his decision to quit Mercedes and join Ferrari, where the seven-time F1 champion is now struggling.

 

The 40-year-old stunned the world in February 2024 when Hamilton announced that he was to join Ferrari in the 2025 F1 season, ending a storied 12-year spell for Mercedes. The Briton had won six titles, 84 Grands Prix, 78 pole positions and 153 podiums with the Silver Arrows.

 

But his move to Maranello is yet to pay off, with the Stevenage-born star still to take a Grand Prix podium or pole position for the pride of Italy. Hamilton’s best results for Ferrari thus far have come in F1 Sprint events, with the pole and the win in China plus his podium in Miami.

 

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton on track during the 2025 F1 Spanish Grand Prix

 

David Coulthard now says ‘no’ to Lewis Hamilton winning his eighth F1 title with Ferrari

Hamilton secured his best Grand Prix result for Ferrari thus far at Imola, when he recovered from qualifying in P12 for the Emilia Romagna GP to finish fourth in the Scuderia’s backyard. He is also losing optimism, with Hamilton urging Ferrari to focus on the 2026 F1 regulations.

 

It is not the start to his life in red that the Mercedes hero wanted, with Hamilton struggling with the unpredictable rear end of Ferrari’s car. His plight with the SF-25 is also now leaving Coulthard with growing doubts that Hamilton will win his eighth F1 title after joining Ferrari.

 

Coulthard told Bild: “I always felt that Lewis had developed a special relationship and loyalty with Mercedes. So, I was totally confused when I heard about his move.

 

 

“It was a bit like Michael returning to Formula 1 with Mercedes, even though he had built such a legacy at Ferrari. But, ultimately, this is Lewis’ journey, his story [and] his book that he’s writing. Maybe he’ll win a Grand Prix, maybe he’ll win a championship, or maybe not.”

 

When Bild pushed Coulthard on whether or not Hamilton will win his eighth F1 drivers’ title with Ferrari, the Scot added: “No, it doesn’t look like it.”

 

Lewis Hamilton is losing Ferrari’s support after a disappointing start to the 2025 F1 season

Ferrari now plan to run their upgraded rear suspension in Canada, along with a new floor, in the hope of helping Hamilton improve his results in the SF-25. But the Scuderia’s engineers are joining the F1 record-setter in losing hope for the 2025 term after the first nine rounds.

 

But a greater concern in Maranello might add further weight to Coulthard’s growing doubts about Hamilton winning an eighth F1 title with Ferrari, who the Briton hopes will improve in 2026 with the new regulations. He agreed to sign an initial two-year contract to join Ferrari.

 

It is now said that Hamilton has a suspicion that Ferrari’s engineers no longer back him after his disappointing start to the 2025 season. He has seen a huge shift in Maranello with those who celebrated his arrival becoming accusers, which will not help any title bid next season.