Damon Hill tells Ferrari what they need to give Lewis Hamilton to keep him ‘motivated’ in Formula 1

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Lewis Hamilton’s wait for his first podium for Ferrari continues after he finished fourth after a frustrating weekend at the United States Grand Prix.

The seven-time champion has now gone 19 races without a podium in 2025, marking a new record for a Ferrari driver. Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc have been struggling to extract top performance, with the Maranello outfit yet to win this season.

The pair qualified P8 and P10 respectively for the Sprint, but managed to climb to fourth and fifth in the race, aided by the retirements of Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and Nico Hulkenberg. Leclerc managed a podium on Sunday after qualifying third, while Hamilton came home fourth.

Danica Patrick fears Hamilton is ‘defeated’ at Ferrari and wants the season to end. It has been a frustrating 2025 campaign for the Brit, with ride height issues and underperforming upgrades plaguing his season.

Hamilton said ‘I’ve got nothing’ over his radio as he came home to finish P4 at the United States Grand Prix. It was an encouraging result for Ferrari, considering their lack of pace relative to their rivals in recent races, but it is still not where Hamilton wants to be.

Damon Hill tells Ferrari to give Lewis Hamilton a ‘smell of victory’ to keep him ‘motivated’

Jenson Button hailed Hamilton’s ‘amazing’ start to the race as he found positives for his ex-teammate’s weekend. Likewise, Damon Hill was encouraged by the 40-year-old and Ferrari’s pace, but stressed that more work is needed.

Speaking via the Chequered Flag podcast, the 1996 F1 champion told the Maranello outfit that they must give Hamilton a ‘smell of victory’ to keep him ‘motivated’. His win in the Sprint in China now seems like a distant memory.

“He was close enough to Charles as well, so at times quicker, and I think that this was an encouraging weekend for him,” he said.

“Yet I think the point I’d make is, with someone like Lewis, he’s had a long career in Formula 1, he’s won everything there is to win, except of course the 8th title.

“And for him to get out of bed in the morning and feel motivated, he needs some hope. They need to give him something, a smell of victory. And if it’s not there, it’s very difficult to drag it out of yourself.

“When you get a sense that things are going [in] the right direction, you get a ball rolling and again, I come back to that feeling, there was a little bit of a rolling momentum there in Ferrari it seemed.

“There was something good was happening where they’ve had a lot of ups and downs, but it’s one swallow doesn’t make a summer, so we’ll see what they go in Mexico.”

Can Lewis Hamilton win with Ferrari?

Ferrari’s result at COTA is a positive step forward for the team as they hope to end the season on a high. Leclerc’s podium proved the team have found some performance, but Hamilton is still waiting to achieve some success.

Hamilton faced another severe issue on the final lap of the race in Austin as he reported a puncture to his front right tyre. It is the second race in a row where he has encountered a significant problem on the last lap, with brake failure hampering him in Singapore.

Ferrari will be desperate to get a victory on the board in 2025, but it may be unlikely, given the pace of Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes. The team are still a way off their rivals, and may have to wait until the 2026 F1 regulations to be competitive.

Leclerc reported positive feelings from the 2026 car in the simulator, which should encourage Hamilton for next season. He will be banking on Ferrari to deliver a strong package under the new rules as his retirement from F1 looms near.