Lewis Hamilton’s Saudi Struggles Deepen as Confidence in Ferrari Wanes and 2025 Outlook Darkens
Lewis Hamilton endured a disappointing weekend on the Jeddah Grand Prix, leaving Jeddah with rising doubts about his possibilities of success in 2025. Regardless of having not too long ago secured a morale-boosting Dash victory in China, Hamilton’s optimism seems to be quickly eroding. The seven-time world champion completed seventh each in qualifying and within the race, falling effectively wanting extracting the complete efficiency potential of the Ferrari SF-25.
Whereas these outcomes might not appear disastrous on paper, they inform solely a part of the story. Hamilton was comprehensively outpaced by teammate Charles Leclerc, who beat him by half a second in qualifying. Much more regarding for the British driver, Ferrari reserve Oliver Bearman—making his debut earlier within the season—had managed to complete nearer to Leclerc than Hamilton did final weekend. The efficiency hole is turning into more durable to miss.
Hamilton did get pleasure from a promising begin by overtaking Carlos Sainz, and for a couple of laps, he fiercely defended his place from Lando Norris. Nevertheless, he was finally handed and struggled to regain momentum. Unable to catch Kimi Antonelli, Hamilton crossed the road greater than 30 seconds behind Leclerc, who secured Ferrari’s first podium of the season with a commanding drive. Charles Leclerc now leads Hamilton by 16 factors within the drivers’ championship, having contributed over 60% of Ferrari’s complete factors haul thus far.
Hamilton’s Temper Shifted Dramatically Between Qualifying and Race Day in Jeddah
Regardless of the rising efficiency deficit to his teammate, Hamilton remained comparatively upbeat after qualifying. In an interview with Sky Sports activities, he reportedly acknowledged that he wouldn’t surrender, describing the state of affairs as “actually tough” however expressing religion that perseverance and workforce help would finally result in enchancment. He had stated that the place there was a will, there was a means, and reaffirmed his dedication to maintain pushing and striving for higher outcomes.
Nevertheless, Hamilton’s tone modified markedly following Sunday’s race. Annoyed by the automotive’s lack of grip—a difficulty he reported over workforce radio—his post-race feedback mirrored deep disillusionment. Talking once more to Sky Sports activities, he remarked that there was “no repair” for the issues he was dealing with, suggesting that any hope of significant progress this season had been extinguished.
He even went as far as to trace at writing off the rest of 2025, warning followers that the remainder of the season could be painful. Whereas such remarks are sometimes made within the emotional moments after a tough race, they trace at a rising sense of resignation inside the driver’s camp. With sweeping regulation adjustments set for subsequent yr, Hamilton might already be shifting his focus to 2026.
Why Some Imagine Mercedes Is Higher Off With out Hamilton in 2025
Though there are nonetheless 19 races remaining within the 2025 Formulation 1 season—a quantity that after represented a full calendar— the Briton’s continued struggles have fueled hypothesis about his future kind. With a two-week break following the triple-header, he can have time to replicate and recalibrate, however the clock is ticking.
Consistency and uncooked tempo ought to ideally come extra naturally by this stage, notably for a driver of Hamilton’s expertise. Even Carlos Sainz, who initially confronted a steep studying curve at Williams, has proven indicators of restoration in latest races. Hamilton, against this, appears to be wrestling not simply with the automotive, however maybe with the period itself.
His dedication can’t be questioned. In Jeddah, he reportedly stayed late into the evening to debrief together with his engineers and analyse what went unsuitable. But there may be rising concern that his discomfort with the present era of Formulation 1 vehicles is simply too deeply rooted to be solved via effort alone.
Former F1 technical director Gary Anderson has gone so far as to counsel that Mercedes are in a greater place with out Hamilton. Based on Anderson, the workforce has gained stability since stepping away from the experimental setups typically requested by the British driver. With out the stress to chase radical improvements, Mercedes might now be discovering a extra strong basis on which to rebuild.
Because the 2025 season progresses, all eyes will stay on Hamilton—not simply to see whether or not he can shut the hole to Leclerc, however whether or not he can rediscover the shape and confidence that after made him just about unbeatable. For now, although, his Ferrari chapter stays a narrative of unfulfilled promise.
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