Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari Nightmare: The Longest Podium Drought and a Team in Turmoil

Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari was supposed to be a fairy tale — a seven-time World Champion joining the most iconic team in Formula 1 history to chase a new legacy. Instead, ten races into the 2025 season, Hamilton finds himself without a single podium finish, facing the worst season of his illustrious career. The radio calls are awkward, the chemistry with his race engineer Riccardo Adami is strained, and the dream of resurrecting Ferrari’s glory days is rapidly slipping away.

The Harsh Reality: Zero Podiums and a Growing Crisis

Zero podiums after ten races is a shocking statistic for Hamilton. His only highlight so far is a sprint race victory — not even a full Grand Prix win. On Sundays, his best finish is P4 at Imola, nearly two seconds off the podium. In Formula 1 terms, those seconds feel like minutes, especially when every millisecond counts.

If Hamilton drops one more spot in the standings, he will match his seventh place finish from last year at Mercedes — the worst season of his career, now repeated. Motorsport analyst and former F1 driver Robert Doornbos offered a brutal comparison, joking that Hamilton’s teammate-like slump reminds him of his own career where he failed to score a podium in eleven races.

But this isn’t just a slump or bad luck. The tension between Hamilton and his engineer Riccardo Adami has become apparent over the radio. Their communications sound less like strategic teamwork and more like two people struggling to understand each other under pressure. Doornbos likened it to a marriage with no good days, just the downs — a partnership unraveling in front of the world.

Ferrari’s Structural Chaos: A Team Out of Sync

Robert Doornbos went beyond Hamilton’s pace to criticize Ferrari’s current internal structure. The glory days of Ferrari’s dominance under Michael Schumacher were built on a foundation of cultural synergy — an English engineering brain trust led by Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne working alongside Italian passion at Maranello. That era was “practically an English team based in Italy,” Doornbos said.

Today, Ferrari is a different beast. With French team boss Fred Vasseur, a Monegasque lead driver Charles Leclerc, and Hamilton — a British seven-time world champion — the team struggles with a cultural and strategic disconnect. The familiar blend of precision engineering and clear leadership has given way to chaos and confusion.

The brutal reality is that even Hamilton’s extraordinary experience might not be enough to carry this fractured team. Doornbos posed a tough question: Has Hamilton lost the killer instinct that made him untouchable? Or is the environment simply too broken for any driver, no matter how great, to succeed?

Toto Wolff’s Defense: It’s Not Hamilton, It’s the Circumstances

Despite the harsh criticism, Toto Wolff — Hamilton’s former team principal at Mercedes — defended the star driver. Wolff said, “You don’t unlearn driving that fast,” implying that Hamilton’s skills are not in question. Instead, Wolff pointed to three major factors holding Hamilton back:

The Car: Ferrari’s 2025 machine is unfamiliar, with a handling style and feel different from what Hamilton mastered at Mercedes.

The Culture Shock: For the first time in his career, Hamilton races outside a British-based team, adapting to Ferrari’s unique and complex Italian environment.

Timing: Historically, Hamilton often finds his stride in the second half of the season. Wolff believes his mojo might just be starting to return.

This perspective suggests Hamilton’s current struggles aren’t a sign of decline but part of an adjustment process — albeit one occurring in an unforgiving, results-driven sport.

Ferrari’s Response: Upgrades and Cautious Optimism

Hamilton’s frustration with the car’s lack of development is clear. After another disappointing race in Canada, he openly called for changes, demanding upgrades and answers to make the car competitive. Ferrari has responded, with team principal Fred Vasseur confirming that upgrades could debut as early as the Austrian Grand Prix.

However, Vasseur tempered expectations, describing these as incremental improvements — “hundredths, not tenths” — meaning small steps rather than a game-changing overhaul. The focus now is on helping Hamilton build confidence, improve car-driver synergy, and adapt to Ferrari’s technical setup.

This phase isn’t about winning immediately but about stabilizing a shaky foundation. As Wolff said, greatness doesn’t disappear overnight, but even the best need the right environment to thrive.

The Rising Stars: Ferrari and McLaren’s Youth Movement

While Hamilton battles his own struggles, Formula 1’s future stars are quietly making headlines. At the Austrian Grand Prix, Ferrari will replace Charles Leclerc with Dino Beganovic for FP1. The 21-year-old Swedish driver, part of Ferrari’s junior program, made his FP1 debut earlier this season and is proving himself on one of F1’s fastest circuits.

Beganovic is gaining valuable experience driving the same car Hamilton is trying to develop — a clear sign of Ferrari’s faith in his potential. In Formula 2, he’s been impressive, scoring two podiums in the first 12 races of the 2025 season. His performance in Austria could cement his path towards a full-time F1 seat in the future.

Meanwhile, McLaren is also showcasing a 19-year-old talent, Alex Dunne, who will drive in FP1 at Austria, stepping in for Lando Norris. Dunne currently leads the F2 championship and has already tested McLaren’s previous cars. His FP1 debut is a critical step, a real-world tryout under pressure.

This youth revolution — Beganovic vs. Dunne, Ferrari vs. McLaren — could be the quiet undercurrent reshaping F1’s landscape, even as the sport’s veterans like Hamilton and Leclerc face turbulent seasons.

What’s Next for Hamilton and Ferrari?

Hamilton’s Ferrari chapter is still unfolding, but the cracks are undeniable. Without a podium after ten races and growing tension within the team, this isn’t just a cold streak — it’s a crisis that threatens both the driver’s legacy and Ferrari’s championship hopes.

Can the team deliver meaningful upgrades fast enough? Can Hamilton adapt his style and regain that ruthless edge? And will Ferrari’s internal culture evolve to create the unity needed for success?

The Austrian Grand Prix might provide answers. It could be the moment Ferrari shows it hasn’t signed a legend just to squander him. Or it could confirm the nightmare scenario — that Ferrari has become a graveyard for greatness.

What remains certain is this: Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari story is far from over, and its next chapter could be the most revealing — and pivotal — yet.