Just five races into his much-hyped Ferrari chapter, Lewis Hamilton’s future in Formula 1 is already under intense scrutiny.
Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher has publicly questioned whether the seven-time world champion will see out his time at the Scuderia if his dismal results continue, while Sky Sports’ Martin Brundle has offered his own skeptical take on Hamilton’s struggles.
Ahead of next week’s Miami Grand Prix, the pressure is mounting on the 40-year-old to turn his season around.
Sport Confidential | Episode 565 | SF 01The Inside Line | Episode 597 | SF 02The Inside Line | Episode 596 | SF 02
Hamilton’s 2025 season has been far from the fairy tale many expected. After switching from Mercedes to Ferrari in a bombshell move announced in early 2024, the Briton currently sits a lowly seventh in the drivers’ standings and has consistently been outperformed by teammate Charles Leclerc.
In Saudi Arabia, Hamilton finished a distant seventh – over 30 seconds adrift of Leclerc, who claimed Ferrari’s first podium of the year.
A Grim Picture of Hamilton’s Future
Schumacher says Hamilton’s results—and body language—paint a worrying picture of the future.
“He just can’t handle the car,” the Sky Germany pundit said. “We talk a lot about Lando Norris, but it’s almost worse with him.
“You can see it, he’s really slumped. When you’re standing there at some point and have no more resources and are constantly slowing down, then you lose everything.
“I know from my own experience: If things continue like this, it’s no longer fun. Then he wakes up one morning and thinks: ‘Why am I doing this to myself?
“I’m not having fun anymore, I can’t manage it anymore. I’m getting in the way of my team.’”
Schumacher believes the project that once promised so much could unravel if Hamilton’s motivation slips further.
“If this continues, there’s a danger that at some point he’ll say: ‘Look, I don’t want this anymore. I want to live my life now, I’m 40 years old. I’m so rich, I’m not going to do this to myself anymore’.
“Obviously, for some reason, it’s not working out. It’s a huge project, what Ferrari and Hamilton had planned. But at the moment, he’s a long way from Charles Leclerc. I wouldn’t have thought it would be this extreme.
“However, China also showed that as soon as he gets into the car and the track and the car suit him, he delivers.”
Still, in the main Grand Prix in Shanghai, Hamilton once again trailed Leclerc before both were disqualified for unrelated infringements—further symbolic of a season full of missed opportunities.
Sky F1’s Martin Brundle Martin echoed many of Schumacher’s concerns – though with a slightly different take as the Briton is skeptical that Hamilton’s woes stem solely from a lack of car familiarity.
“Fred [Vasseur] summed it up, he said it’s been up and down, because there was a time when we talked about in commentary where he was in the mid 1m32s which was bang on the pace,” Brundle said during Sky Sports’ post-race coverage in Jeddah.
But Hamilton’s 31-second deficit to Leclerc, even accounting for traffic, raised red flags.
“I struggle to buy into he doesn’t understand the car,” Brundle stated. “It’s a new car, but here we are knocking on the door of May, and they’ve had all the pre-season stuff and all that.”
Brundle suspects the issue lies elsewhere, particularly in setup choices.
“I just think Lewis hasn’t gelled with this car and I don’t think he’s going the right way on the setup,” he said.
Drawing on insights from Hamilton’s Mercedes days, Brundle added: “I know from the things I’ve heard from Mercedes about how Lewis likes the car in a certain way.
“Obviously he can’t get the car there, where he needs it, so it’s difficult days. But what’s a bit odd is, all of a sudden, he was right there.”
Hamilton’s brief moments of competitiveness, like in China, suggest the talent is intact, but the consistency is missing.
As Miami looms, Hamilton faces a critical juncture. Schumacher’s stark warning and Brundle’s analysis underscore a troubling reality: the Ferrari project is faltering, and Hamilton’s inability to match Leclerc is raising questions about his place in the team – and the sport.
With fans and celebrities set to flock to Miami, all eyes will be on whether Hamilton can rediscover his spark or if doubts about his future will grow louder.
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Esteban Ocon has hailed Haas’ relentless drive and decisive action in transforming what looked like a bleak start into a highly promising 2025 campaign.
The French driver, who is in his first season with the American squad, has been thoroughly impressed by the speed, efficiency, and determination shown by Haas following a rocky opening round in Australia.
The team now sits fifth in the Constructors’ Championship with 20 points, thanks to consistent performances over the last few rounds – including double points finishes in Bahrain and China.
According to Ocon, it’s no fluke. The turnaround, he says, is the result of an extraordinary work ethic and rapid response to adversity.
“Twice the Work” and a Mindset to Match
Having raced for Manor, Force India, and Renault/Alpine before joining Haas, Ocon has experienced a variety of team cultures and development strategies. But none, he says, compare to what he’s seeing now in terms of sheer responsiveness.
“I’m not going to compare with teams but from where I’m sitting, I don’t feel this team is small,” Ocon told reporters.
“This team is reacting quicker than I’ve ever felt before in terms of producing parts, in terms of producing solutions, coming up with data points.”
Despite being a smaller operation in terms of headcount, Haas has, in Ocon’s words, more than made up for it with output.
“It’s great to see. Yes, we are a lot less [in terms of employees], but there is two times the work [being carried out] that has been done in the past.”
Such praise underscores the culture shift at Haas undertaken last season under new leadership and technical restructuring.
What looked like another challenging campaign in the making has turned into one of the most compelling underdog stories of the year so far.
Ocon didn’t mince words when reflecting on the tough start in Melbourne. Haas appeared off the pace, and critics were quick to write them off. But instead of spiraling, the team surged.
“I’ve never seen a team coming with a solution in two weeks in terms of just bringing a new update in reaction to what’s going on from the beginning of the week of the year,” said Ocon.
That quick turnaround not only changed the team’s outlook but re-energized the entire operation.
“It’s extremely satisfying to work with such a team that takes action quickly to fix things,” he continued.
“We can be proud, it was a big relief in China to see that we were able to fight. It was a massive shock for all of us to see that we were two and a half or three seconds lower than everyone else.
“A lot of people were saying, ‘that’s it for their year. They are going to be in the back the whole year. They haven’t done a great job over the winter’.”
But the atmosphere within Haas told a different story – one of quiet confidence and belief in their potential.
“Nobody believed that here. We knew there was potential in the car. We just needed to unlock it.”
As the season rolls on, Haas’ transformation has become one of the standout narratives on the grid.
And with Esteban Ocon leading the charge and a team willing to move mountains in record time, their fight to stay in the midfield – or push beyond it – is only just beginning.
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The Formula 1 Commission convened on Thursday to address concerns over the 2026 engine regulations, agreeing to explore mechanisms that would help underperforming manufacturers close the performance gap next season.
With fears of a competitive imbalance emerging, reminiscent of Mercedes’ 2014 dominance, the FIA, F1, and teams are determined to prevent a lopsided grid when the new power units debut.
The 2026 rules, introducing a budget cap on engine programs, risk locking trailing manufacturers into prolonged struggles, as seen with Honda’s challenging 2015 entry. To counter this, the F1 Commission reached a preliminary consensus to allow lagging manufacturers additional dyno hours and extra budget cap headroom.
Critically, only power unit performance – not overall team results – will determine eligibility for these concessions.
“The F1 Commission discussed in principle refinements to the energy management strategy for 2026, as well as measures to address financial issues that can be faced by power unit manufacturers that experience either low performance or significant reliability issues in 2026,” the FIA stated.
These proposed catch-up provisions are expected to undergo further review by the Power Unit Advisory Committee before being finalized.
Battery Power Limits and Energy Strategy Stir Debate
The meeting also reignited fierce debate over the role of electric power in the upcoming 2026 engine format. One controversial proposal involved reducing the electric component during races to prevent scenarios where cars slow dramatically on straights due to depleted battery charge.
The suggestion proved divisive. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff dismissed the idea as a “joke,” while Red Bull boss Christian Horner—whose team is developing its own power unit in partnership with Ford—championed the proposal.
A potential compromise discussed involves limiting electric deployment only on circuits with long straights, such as Monza, rather than implementing a blanket change.
With teams still far apart on the issue, the Commission deferred any final decision, allowing for further technical analysis and debate in the months ahead.
The Thursday meeting also touched on several smaller but notable items.
In response to the grass fires that interrupted the Japanese Grand Prix weekend, the Commission agreed to investigate using alternative skid materials like stainless steel and applying circuit-specific grass treatments.
These changes could have weight and durability implications, which are still under evaluation.
Additionally, the Commission approved amendments for mandatory two-stop strategies at the Monaco Grand Prix and adjus
ted capital expenditure allowances for new entrants like Cadillac, set to join in 2026.
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