LOW OCTANE: Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari is turning out be a massive disappointment

Lewis Hamilton’s tryst with Ferrari in the 2025 Formula One season is already turning out to be a difficult one. Massive hype, a big-bucks deal for his move from Mercedes to Ferrari and raising hopes of winning back his past glory, all that has not fructified in the new season. At the Suzuka Circuit in Japan on Sunday, Hamilton was left gasping for pace. His explanations have been far from convincing, what with his teammate Charles Lelcerec still better than him by way of pace and performance.

For those who know a lot about legacy in F1 and Ferrari, Hamilton was looked up to as a messiah, someone who could show fire in his belly and produce something outstanding. Fans were made to believe he could churn the legacy left behind by Michael Schumacher. That hasn’t happened and Hamilton has already started blaming his car and how more needs to be done on it. Hearing Hamilton speak on Sunday, it is clear the Briton accepts there is a deficit and underperformance from his side. The lack of pace in the three Grand Prix in Australia, China and Japan are worrying, more so when compared with the kind of speed and hunger which was witnessed from Max Verstappen in his Red Bull on Sunday. He closed it out from pole to podium.

For those who had a good laugh at the radio conversation between Hamilton and his engineers on the radio in Melbourne, he was being tutored on basics like what all options he has at the steering wheel. At that time, it seemed, Hamilton was being pestered into learning a few things with his new team. Now it turns out, the problems are increasing. One of the easiest comments one can hear from a Formula One driver is reference to his car “as shit.” These days, every word uttered by a driver is monitored and there is zero tolerance for any wrong comment. Verstappen will vouch he had got into trouble last year for some words which was far from profanity.

Hamilton can let steam out, but is measured with his words. As it is, for a Briton, the whole ethos at the Ferrari factory is so different. They speak a different language and at the same time, getting close to the racing team and how they work has not been figured out. At the same time, Hamilton does not sound too upbeat on what to expect. “I am happy I have moved forward and I am hoping in the next race we will see some positive change” he said.

What kind of changes can happen nobody knows. If Hamilton is expecting a drastic change when the teams move to Bahrain for the next racing weekend, that is unrealistic. In such a short gap, nothing much can be changed in the car. If one compares the timing sheets, Hamilton knows his car is perhaps fourth-fastest. Why would any team spend so much money on a driver if he cannot speed things up is a good question which can be asked. Nobody in Formula One is in the sports for fun, it is serious stuff. Hamilton knows, his deal with Ferrari is estimated at $ 446 million, which includes ‘driving duties and business ventures.’ That is the most operative part, payment for his work as a driver and business ventures. What it means is, when Ferrari decided to sign up with Hamilton in 2024 itself, the belief was he will bring in money to the team. With these kind of performances from Hamilton, below par by all accounts, raking in money seems hard, more so with stock markets around the world getting hammered on Monday.

It is well-known, Hamilton is ready to accept slow changes with the Ferrari car. There is talk of ‘upgrades’ but the cryptic reply from Hamilton on Sunday was a shocker. “They don’t know,” said Hamilton, a direct reference to what his team has planned. Can this kind of a deal work for Hamilton and Ferrari or will it become a deal gone sour, time will tell. All that can be said with certainty now is Hamilton moving to Ferrari is a bit like flat beer to sip.