Close Ferrari ‘sources’ reveal key change that could have ‘direct repercussions’ for Lewis Hamilton

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Lewis Hamilton has endured a dreary start to his time at Ferrari, but the Scuderia are taking action to improve their situation which is yet to yield a Grand Prix win in 2025.

The Maranello natives are the only team among Formula 1’s top four crews still without a win after the first 14 of the 24 rounds. It was also only last weekend at the Hungarian Grand Prix that Charles Leclerc gave Ferrari their first pole position in 2025, ending a 17-round drought.

Ferrari have seen Hamilton qualify in fourth place at best since he moved to Maranello from Mercedes before the 2025 F1 season. The 40-year-old qualified P4 in Monaco and Austria, and his best Grand Prix results in red thus far are even P4 in Imola, Austria and Great Britain.

Hamilton endured his worst Grand Prix finish for Ferrari in Hungary last Sunday, as well, with the seven-time champion qualifying and also finishing P12. Only as part of Ferrari’s first-ever double disqualification in China had Hamilton previously failed to secure a point this season.

Ferrari name Carlos Galbally Herrero as their new F1 head of tyre performance

Leclerc’s collapse from pole to P4 in the Hungarian GP after suspected changes that Ferrari made to protect his skid plank also ensured the Scuderia have hit the summer break second in the F1 constructors’ standings, but 299 points behind McLaren who have 11 wins in 2025.

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Additionally, Leclerc and Hamilton only sit fifth and sixth in the F1 drivers’ standings and also trail Oscar Piastri by 133 and 175 points. So, Ferrari have now made a key change to improve their situation, by naming Carlos Galbally Herrero as their new F1 head of tyre performance.

That is according to Formula1.it, which reports that ‘sources close to Ferrari’ have revealed a shake-up of the Scuderia’s technical team. Ferrari hope Herrero’s promotion can have ‘direct repercussions’ on what Leclerc and Hamilton are able to produce in the second half of 2025.

Herrero has worked for Ferrari since 2016, and the Spanish technician is now responsible for optimising their tyre management and understanding of the Pirelli rubber. It is a similar role to the duties that Herrero oversaw as Ferrari’s head of tyre science between 2022 and 2024.

Ferrari shake up their backroom team after recently giving Lewis Hamilton a new engineer

Ferrari first hired Herrero in November 2016 as a senior tyre performance engineer after he left Sauber following a four-and-a-half-year stint in Hinwil, Switzerland. Herrero also worked for Mercedes from August 2007 to July 2012 – prior to Hamilton’s time there from 2013-24.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory

Herrero has also held positions at Ferrari as their technical leader of tyre performance, head of tyre science and head of vehicle dynamics. Now, he has stepped up to become their head of tyre performance, in the latest shake-up that Ferrari have made with their technical team.

During Hamilton’s sorry time at the Belgian Grand Prix, the seven-time champion confirmed that Ferrari had added a new performance engineer to work with him and his race engineer, Riccardo Adami. While Ferrari would not identify the engineer, it was an internal promotion.

The Scuderia will now hope the changes they have made allow Hamilton to return after the summer break in better spirits, and at least able to score his first Grand Prix podium in red. Hamilton called himself ‘useless’ after qualifying P12 in Hungary, while Leclerc earned pole.