Lewis Hamilton foresees a challenging and “painful” conclusion to the 2025 Formula 1 season with Ferrari, following a particularly difficult showing at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
During the race on Sunday, Hamilton drove a solitary race, starting and finishing in seventh place. He was clearly outperformed by his Ferrari teammate, Charles Leclerc, throughout the weekend.
Hamilton`s performance has notably dropped since his victory in the Chinese GP Sprint last month. Across the subsequent three events in Japan, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia, he has not managed to beat Leclerc in either qualifying or the race.
In Jeddah, Leclerc finished on the podium, securing Ferrari`s first of the season, more than 30 seconds ahead of Hamilton.
Reflecting on his result, Hamilton commented, “Nothing positive to take, except for Charles finishing on the podium, which is great for the team.”
He described his race experience as “horrible, not enjoyable at all. I was just sliding around. I didn`t have grip. First stint, massive understeer… The second stint, slightly better balance but still just no pace. Pretty bad.”
Speaking to the media, Hamilton appeared confused when asked about his lack of form since China, stating he didn`t have any immediate answers.
He expressed pessimism about the immediate future, adding, “At the moment there`s no fix. So, this is how it`s going to be for the rest of the year. It`s going to be painful.”
Hamilton: Data Shows Little Difference Compared to Leclerc
Despite the clear performance discrepancy, Hamilton mentioned that his data analysis compared to Leclerc`s doesn`t show a significant difference.
Both drivers have indicated having similar driving styles and recently converged on their car setups, particularly ahead of the Saudi Arabian GP.
While Leclerc is highly regarded for his qualifying speed, Hamilton has also struggled to match his teammate`s pace in race trim, which has historically been a major strength for the seven-time world champion.
Hamilton acknowledged Leclerc`s comfort level with the machinery, stating, “He [Leclerc] has been driving this car for a long time, so he definitely knows it really well.”
Regarding the telemetry, he shared, “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.”
He also noted setup variations, saying, “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.”
Summing up his struggles, Hamilton concluded, “In qualifying it`s me extracting performance. In the race, I tried everything, and the car just didn`t want to go quicker.”
The next Formula 1 event is a Sprint weekend taking place in Miami from May 2nd to 4th.
