Hamilton’s Ferrari nightmare exposed, how a dream move turned into a season from hell

December 23, 2025 Aksel Kryhlmand

A move that carried impossible expectations

When Lewis Hamilton walked into Ferrari’s Maranello headquarters for the first time as a race driver, the symbolism was unavoidable. A seven time world champion had joined Formula One’s most famous team, a pairing loaded with legacy and expectation.

According to ESPN journalist Laurence Edmondson, Ferrari carefully framed Hamilton’s arrival as the start of a championship revival. A photo shoot featuring a Ferrari F40 outside Enzo Ferrari’s former home quickly went viral, reinforcing the romance of the move and Hamilton’s long stated admiration for the team.

Hamilton himself leaned into the narrative early in the season. He spoke openly about childhood dreams, unfinished business after 2021, and the belief that Ferrari could return him to title contention after more than a decade with Mercedes.

Within months, that optimism began to erode.

From excitement to exhaustion in public view

As results failed to match expectations, Hamilton’s tone changed noticeably. According to ESPN’s reporting, his media appearances became shorter and more visibly tense as qualifying struggles mounted.

The low point came in Hungary, where Hamilton described himself as “absolutely useless” and suggested Ferrari might “probably need to change driver.” Later in Brazil, he went further, calling the season “a nightmare” and admitting the emotional strain of the contrast between Ferrari’s image and its results.

Ferrari chairman John Elkann responded publicly by saying drivers should “focus on driving and talk less,” comments that fueled speculation of internal tension. Both Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc later downplayed any rift, but the episode highlighted how exposed Ferrari’s struggles had become.

A car that forced early compromise

Behind the scenes, Ferrari’s problems were more fundamental than form alone. According to Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur, quoted by ESPN, the 2025 car required extremely low ride heights to be competitive, pushing legality limits under Formula One’s plank wear regulations.

That vulnerability was exposed in China, where both Ferrari cars were disqualified after the race. From that point, Ferrari diverted development resources toward making the car legal rather than faster.

Vasseur told reporters the team had to “pay the bill for one third of the season,” a decision that effectively ended hopes of catching McLaren. By April, Ferrari had shifted its design focus almost entirely to the 2026 regulation overhaul, accepting that 2025 would be about damage limitation.

Why the transition hit Hamilton harder than expected

According to Vasseur, Ferrari underestimated how difficult the transition would be for Hamilton after spending roughly 20 years in Mercedes powered environments. Everything from software systems to engineering processes differed, leaving little margin for error in a tightly packed field.

“It’s not that we are doing worse or better, it’s that we are just doing differently,” Vasseur said, explaining how small inefficiencies quickly added up.

Hamilton finished the season sixth in the championship, 86 points behind Leclerc, without a single grand prix podium. While the raw numbers looked alarming, ESPN noted that qualifying gaps were often measured in hundredths of a second, highlighting how unforgiving the adaptation process had been.

A season written off but not a career abandoned

Despite the disappointment, Hamilton repeatedly stressed that his motivation had not disappeared. According to ESPN, he spoke late in the season about still loving racing and holding onto the belief that better days could come.

Ferrari’s leadership now frames 2025 as a necessary sacrifice rather than a failure. Internally, the focus has shifted toward improving collaboration, communication and detail execution, areas Vasseur believes can unlock performance without a single dramatic fix.

Much like the renovation work ongoing in Maranello, the project remains unfinished. Whether that work restores Ferrari to former glory or simply prolongs the wait will become clear once the new rules arrive.

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Sources: ESPN, reporting by Laurence Edmondson, Ferrari team statements