Lewis Hamilton has failed to meet expectations since his move to Ferrari, with the Briton enduring arguably the worst season of his 19-year career on the grid so far.
An unwanted slice of history is even creeping closer with every round of the 2025 F1 season that passes and Hamilton has still failed to get his first Grand Prix podium finish with Ferrari. Never before has the 40-year-old been unable to stand on at least one rostrum in his career.
Hamilton has already produced the worst start to a season of his career in 2025 by failing to finish on a Grand Prix podium through the first 17 rounds. The 2009 and 2024 seasons were the previous worst years of the seven-time champion’s career, when he required 10 rounds.
Ferrari have only been able to celebrate after Hamilton won the F1 Sprint in China from pole position back in round two in March. The rest of the season has seen Hamilton perform well below Ferrari’s expectations, with his worst points tally under the scoring system since 2010.
Lewis Hamilton cannot perform in a difficult F1 car, unlike Fernando Alonso
Hamilton and Ferrari believed they would be fighting for the 2025 F1 drivers’ championship and the constructors’ title when the Stevenage-born star left Mercedes to join the Scuderia in January. Marc Surer also believed Hamilton would use his vast experience to shine in red.
READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family
| SEASON | TEAM | POINTS | WINS | PODIUMS |
| 2010 | McLaren | 210 | 3 | 8 |
| 2011 | McLaren | 202 | 2 | 5 |
| 2012 | McLaren | 165 | 3 | 6 |
| 2013 | Mercedes | 175 | 1 | 5 |
| 2014 | Mercedes | 316 | 10 | 14 |
| 2015 | Mercedes | 345 | 10 | 15 |
| 2016 | Mercedes | 280 | 6 | 13 |
| 2017 | Mercedes | 331 | 9 | 12 |
| 2018 | Mercedes | 331 | 9 | 14 |
| 2019 | Mercedes | 338 | 9 | 14 |
| 2020 | Mercedes | 347 | 11 | 14 |
| 2021 | Mercedes | 275.5 (inc 2 from 2 Sprints) | 5 | 12 |
| 2022 | Mercedes | 170 (inc 1 from 2 Sprints) | 0 | 6 |
| 2023 | Mercedes | 194 (inc 8 from 4 Sprints) | 0 | 5 |
| 2024 | Mercedes | 166 (inc 10 from 3 Sprints) | 2 | 4 |
| 2025 | Ferrari | 121 (inc 14 from 3 Sprints) | 0 | 0 |
Yet his persistent plight even saw Hamilton suggest Ferrari “need to change driver” and that he was “useless” after qualifying P12 for the Hungarian Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc has also already won the qualifying head-to-head at Ferrari with a 13-4 record over Hamilton so far.
Hamilton has struggled to adapt to Ferrari’s 2025 F1 car, with its engine and brakes marking two of his biggest obstacles. And Surer feels Hamilton’s plight proves he cannot overcome a difficult car, whereas his long-time rival Fernando Alonso often gets the most out of his cars.
Surer told Vollgas, via quotes by Ran: “He’s already struggled alongside George Russell over the past two years. At Ferrari, he has a super-fast teammate in Charles Leclerc. I still thought he would be fast in the race because of his experience.
“But Lewis Hamilton is just a spoiled child who has always driven the best cars. If the car suits him, he wins the races convincingly. But if he doesn’t have the fastest car, he runs into problems. He’s not like Alonso, who can live with compromises.”
Lewis Hamilton must prove Marc Surer wrong and adapt to end his first Ferrari season on a high
Hamilton has suffered a comprehensive beating at the hands of Leclerc since he walked into the Monegasque’s home by joining Ferrari for the 2025 F1 season. The 27-year-old boasts a 12-3 lead in their Grand Prix results head-to-head (excluding the Chinese GP and Dutch GP).
Ferrari suffered their first-ever double disqualification in the Chinese Grand Prix this March, when Leclerc was also ahead of Hamilton on the road. Leclerc was also ahead on the circuit when Hamilton crashed out of the Dutch Grand Prix, before the former was also taken out.
Hamilton has not finished a Grand Prix higher than P6 over the last five rounds, as well. And while Hamilton would give “absolutely anything” for Ferrari to upgrade their car, their focus is F1’s 2026 regulations. So, Hamilton must prove Surer wrong and adapt to end 2025 strongly.