Lewis Hamilton has issued a challenge to Ferrari, urging the team to improve after a disappointing performance at the Japanese Grand Prix. Hamilton, who finished in a lackluster seventh place, described the car as “underperforming” and called for “positive changes” as the team struggles in the early stages of the Formula One season. After a promising finish to 2024, expectations were high for Ferrari to be in contention for the title this year. However, the results so far have been far from what the team hoped for.
Max Verstappen dominated the Suzuka race, taking his fourth successive victory at the Japanese Grand Prix. Hamilton had qualified in eighth place and, despite trying an alternative strategy with the hard tyres, could only manage to improve to seventh. His race was marked by one of the few overtaking moves of the day, as he passed Isack Hadjar from Alpine. Despite his efforts, Hamilton’s performance was a far cry from what Ferrari had hoped for this season.
The British driver’s struggles continued after a difficult first round in Australia and a disqualification in China for excessive wear to the skid block on his car. Hamilton did manage to win the sprint race in Shanghai, but it was clear that Ferrari’s performance was not meeting expectations. While he acclimates to his new team, Hamilton feels that Ferrari should be making greater strides in the car’s development.
Hamilton acknowledged that his teammate, Charles Leclerc, appeared to be adapting better to the car, with the two sides of the garage showing a noticeable gap in performance. “I’m really hoping in the next race we’ll see hopefully some positive changes,” Hamilton said. “Through the first three races, there’s been a bit of a deficit between both sides of the garage on some elements of the car. On my side, underperforming. With what I had, that is the best result I could get.”
The 2025 season has proven to be a difficult one for Hamilton, who feels that Ferrari is still far from where they need to be. “My pace was maximum today. I didn’t have anything else in the car,” he explained after the race. Hamilton identified underperformance at the rear of the car as a key issue, and acknowledged that qualifying positions are crucial. He remains hopeful that improvements can be made by the next race in Bahrain, though he expects Ferrari to still be a step behind in terms of performance and downforce. “I think we are probably the fourth fastest at the moment and I think we are a little bit off the other guys in terms of performance, downforce-level wise. So we’ve got some work to do to close the gap.”
Ferrari’s team principal, Frédéric Vasseur, admitted that his team was currently two to three-tenths off the pace in qualifying and in race speed, but he remains optimistic that they can close this gap. Reflecting on their performance in the previous season, Vasseur pointed out that Ferrari had been much further behind at the start of the year but was able to recover as the season progressed. “Last year we were able to come back. The first couple of races, we were six-tenths off on average and we were able to come back during the season,” he said. Vasseur emphasized the need to maintain the same approach, regardless of the current performance gaps, and stressed that improving the car’s potential and its drivability is crucial.
The challenge for Ferrari is clear: they need to make significant improvements across the board. Vasseur believes the team needs to enhance the car’s performance, operation, and drivability to extract the maximum potential. This includes improving the balance and feel of the car to ensure that drivers can achieve the best possible results. As the season progresses, both Hamilton and Ferrari will need to adapt quickly if they are to live up to their expectations and compete with the top teams in Formula One.
