Lewis Hamilton has endured a tough start to life at Ferrari, with the British driver failing to finish on the podium in the first nine races of the 2025 F1 season

Lewis Hamilton has struggled heavily in his first season with Ferrari(Image: PA)

Ex-Formula One star Johnny Herbert has labelled Lewis Hamilton unreliable, cautioning Ferrari that the Brit’s current struggles echo Michael Schumacher’s unsuccessful racing comeback. The seven-time world champion joined F1’s most successful team amid much hype at the start of the 2025 season.

However, the initial excitement quickly faded as the races progressed, with Hamilton’s best finish to date being a fourth place at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. The F1 legend was noticeably downcast after the Spanish Grand Prix, where he came in sixth on Sunday, describing it as the “worst race I’ve experienced, balance-wise.”

Being in the sport for nearly 19 years is an accomplishment in itself, but dominating for most of those years is another achievement altogether.

While he found it tough to compete with Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren in his final three years with Mercedes, it’s this year that some, notably Herbert, have started questioning whether Hamilton’s reign at the top of the sport has come to an end.

“It just looks like Lewis Hamilton is lost, really lost,” Herbert commented, speaking to InstantWithdrawalBettingSites. “I don’t know if the raw pace that he’s always had throughout his career is there anymore.

“I thought, with the pure racing skill Hamilton had, he’d be able to drive around any problems with the car but he seems stuck in a hole. It’s not nice to see. It’s not the first time we’ve seen it in the sport, though.”

Michael Schumacher failed to achieve any podiums or race wins when returning to F1 in 2010 with Mercedes(Image: Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)

Herbert drew parallels between Hamilton’s current form and Schumacher’s post-comeback struggles, recalling how the German legend didn’t reach his previous heights after returning to the sport with Mercedes.

Herbert, who clinched three Grand Prix victories in his career, reflected on past champions’ comebacks, said: “Nigel Mansell won his championship in 1992, went to America in 1993, came back in 1994 and it didn’t work anymore for him.

“It happened with Michael Schumacher too, when he had his break and came back, then he wasn’t the same Schumacher as before. You’re always going to have your peak and an end of your peak. It’s not nice to see.

Lewis Hamilton has only finished ahead of Charles Leclerc once this season(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

“I know Charles Leclerc is not happy with the car either, but at least he’s getting podium finishes consistently. There have been a couple of poor decisions in Ferrari’s strategy and poor communication over the radio, Hamilton doesn’t have the synergy with his engineer that he needs. He hasn’t found his comfort zone since the sprint win in China.”

Hamilton’s performances has been overshadowed by team-mate Leclerc, with Herbert pointing out that Ferrari can no longer rely on the Brit on the basis of what’s he done in the first nine races of the campaign.

“Sometimes you don’t realise when it’s not as easy as it was before, but when you look across the garage and your teammate is outperforming you, then it may click.

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has been told he can’t rely on the seven-time world champion(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

“The greats of the sport, at their peak, get the best out of their car. Max Verstappen is doing it right now. Hamilton just can’t seem to get the extra he needs anymore. He won’t understand why he can’t, because he’ll feel like he should be able to.

“But, Leclerc is outperforming you in the same car. Leclerc is only going to grow and is in control of Ferrari’s future. He’s the guy they can rely on, Ferrari can’t rely on Lewis Hamilton at this point. It’s horrible to say but it’s the truth.”