Lewis Hamilton’s first season with Ferrari in 2025 has exposed long-standing structural issues at Maranello.

The 2025 Formula 1 season was supposed to represent a decisive turning point for Scuderia Ferrari, a moment in which the team could finally lay the foundations for a new competitive cycle. The arrival of seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, beyond his unquestionable technical value and his immense experience gathered during more than a decade at the highest level of the sport, had been welcomed as a unique opportunity to introduce a refreshed and more rigorous working approach. This approach was expected to be closer to the operational standards of the teams that have dominated the modern era of Formula 1. However, after completing 23 demanding race weekends, the overall picture has become clear to everyone both inside and outside Maranello: the anticipated revolution has not materialized. Ferrari is preparing to end the year without a single Grand Prix victory and with a fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship — a position that carries the weight of a harsh and undeniable verdict.

Ferrari: a decline that has lasted for at least a decade
The current situation facing Ferrari did not emerge unexpectedly in 2025. It is the consequence of more than ten years of structural difficulties, limitations and internal contradictions that have never been fully resolved. Since the 2007 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship title with Kimi Raikkonen and the 2008 Constructors’ Championship triumph, the team from Maranello has failed to build a continuous and genuinely successful long-term path. Occasional moments of competitiveness — such as the dramatic world title fights that lasted until the final round in 2010 and 2012 with Fernando Alonso, or the highly competitive charge for the Constructors’ Championship in 2024 — have represented exceptions rather than indicators of healthy and consistent technical growth.

Fragmented development cycles, procedural errors during crucial moments of the season and an internal philosophy that has never been thoroughly modernized have hindered every potential step forward. Even though the 2024 campaign was competitive and at times promising, it should not have encouraged anyone within the team to believe that the structural problems had been solved. The flawed upgrade package introduced at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona compromised a title fight that had previously seemed within reach. The Ferrari SF-24, although fundamentally strong, required precise, targeted and timely updates in order to remain competitive in the closing stages of the season.

This was not the first time such a pattern had emerged. A similar weakness had already surfaced in 2022, when the car began the season with exceptional pace but was soon surpassed by rivals who developed their cars more consistently. It is a script that has repeated itself many times over the past decade. And in 2025, unfortunately, it has been rewritten with even more negative consequences. A symbolic and revealing example dates back to an experience during several race weekends in 2018. One specific situation remains particularly illustrative. It was well past 11:30 p.m. on a Friday evening, at a time when FIA checks also took place late at night.

Several Ferrari mechanics were still working relentlessly on the car, disassembling and reassembling components without any clear procedural logic. In stark contrast, the Mercedes and Red Bull garages had already been shut for hours, with the lights switched off and the shutters pulled down. It was not a matter of dedication — Ferrari mechanics were known for being extremely meticulous and devoted to their work — but rather a matter of organizational structure and internal efficiency, something that multiple insiders later confirmed. Over time, this cultural difference has had a concrete impact on overall results.

Lewis Hamilton’s method is not being absorbed
Lewis Hamilton sensed these shortcomings immediately, even before the 2025 Formula 1 campaign began, during the pre-season testing sessions. Coming from more than ten years at Mercedes, a team built on absolute precision, extremely methodical processes and a well-defined development philosophy, he quickly identified limitations and inefficiencies within the Ferrari team. Even without race victories this season, and despite difficult weekends such as Brazil, Las Vegas and Qatar, Lewis Hamilton has continued to express a level of confidence in the true potential of the team. At the same time, he has been very clear about the immense amount of work required to correct longstanding deficiencies. The British driver has repeatedly stated that he carries an enormous list of notes regarding the areas that need improvement, reflecting his structured and analytical approach.

The seven-time F1 world champion champion remains convinced that Ferrari possesses all the necessary resources to solve its issues, but he believes that these problems must be approached with a structured, disciplined and systematic methodology. He has emphasized that there is no logical reason why the team should be unable to resolve these shortcomings if the needed changes were fully implemented. Lewis Hamilton also remarked that time will reveal whether Ferrari has the courage to modify what has not been functioning properly. His comments convey a mixture of hope, determination and underlying concern.

All of this is happening at a moment when other Formula 1 teams have significantly accelerated their development pace. Recent race weekends have shown a Ferrari that has progressively entered a state of chronic difficulty. The 26 points scored across the last three Grands Prix — including the Sprint event in Brazil — reveal an unmistakable trend, further highlighted by challenging qualifying sessions and a car that struggles to adapt to varying track conditions and temperature changes.

Lewis Hamilton even ended up last in qualifying in Las Vegas, while in Qatar he was knocked out in Q1 twice, an almost unthinkable situation for a driver of his caliber. After the Losail weekend, he noted that he was at risk of being overtaken by Sauber and unable to keep pace with Williams. It is precisely Williams that has become an uncomfortable yet accurate point of comparison — a team that only two seasons ago was consistently fighting at the back of the grid but has now risen thanks to a structured and stable long-term plan.

With method, stability and clear direction, Williams now sits behind Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship. The gap remains meaningful but not nearly as large as historical expectations would suggest. Lewis Hamilton highlighted this progress by pointing out that Williams finished third in Losail and had delivered an excellent performance. His observation underlined how much the competition has grown, while Ferrari’s progress has slowed dramatically, in part due to development being frozen as early as April.

The courage to change is essential
The season has also produced a symbolic and slightly embarrassing situation: Lewis Hamilton risks finishing seventh in the Drivers’ Championship, with rookie Kimi Antonelli just two points behind him. It is a striking paradox considering the British driver’s extraordinary pedigree and his declared ambition to lead a long-term recovery project. However, pure driving talent cannot compensate for structural deficiencies that have persisted for far too long. Ferrari can no longer postpone making decisive and strategic choices.

Nothing substantial is at stake in the final race of the 2025 Formula 1 championship, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which is set to take place this weekend at the Yas Marina circuit, but defining what the team intends to become in the near future remains absolutely crucial. Lewis Hamilton has brought experience, vision, clarity and a detailed list of interventions needed to build a new foundation. The real issue may not revolve around identifying what must be done, but rather around the willingness of the organization to actually implement these changes. If Maranello continues to resist structural evolution, no champion — not even Lewis Hamilton — will be able to reverse the trajectory. If, however, Ferrari chooses to listen and embrace change, the 2026 season could finally become the beginning of a genuinely renewed and competitive chapter in its history.