Ferrari faced ‘a lot of problems’ after story broke about potential F1 car part change that would benefit Lewis Hamilton

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Ferrari will be doing everything they can behind the scenes to try and help Lewis Hamilton get up to speed this season.

It would be unfair to suggest that Ferrari’s poor start to 2025 is down to anything Lewis Hamilton has done.

If teammate Charles Leclerc was regularly challenging for pole positions and race wins while Hamilton sat seventh in the drivers’ championship, then questions would be asked about whether he made the right call leaving Mercedes.

However, the recent Miami Grand Prix highlighted how Ferrari are currently looking over their shoulder at Formula 1’s midfield, rather than at the three teams ahead of them.

Ferrari are relying on Leclerc for setup advice given his experience within the team, but sacrifices may need to be made to help Hamilton acclimatise.

The seven-time world champion is adapting to plenty of new processes and procedures as well as the different parts Ferrari use.

Hamilton is having to get used to engine braking for the first time, and the brand of brakes Ferrari use are also new to the 40-year-old.

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family

Ferrari faced ‘a lot of problems’ after suggestions they would switch away from Brembo brakes

Journalist Edd Straw was speaking to The Race Members’ Club and was asked if there’s been any indication of switching Hamilton from Brembo brakes to Carbon Industrie given the difficulties he’s previously described with braking in his new Ferrari.

He explained, “Well, if you remember, there was a story last year that this might happen.

“Now, Brembo is proper, full-on partner of Ferrari and that story caused a lot of problems.

“Now, I don’t know exactly what’s gone on in the background there. I have a sneaking suspicion and I’m kind of guessing on this on a few little things, I think Ferrari might have looked at doing something like that with the alternative brake supplier, but probably not officially.

“Obviously, the fact is as soon as a plan like that gets out, there’s no chance of it happening.

“I don’t know that for sure, but I suspect they may have considered that because you do see people mixing and matching, but obviously Brembo is a partner of Ferrari, [an] Italian company, it’s a huge deal.

“So, if it gets out that you’re going to do something like that, it wouldn’t be very popular.”

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

Peter Windsor provides theory on Lewis Hamilton’s braking at Ferrari

Hamilton is finding it difficult to match Leclerc over one lap this season, an issue he also faced during his final season against George Russell at Mercedes.

However, the one time he did get the better of the Monegasque driver, he went on to win the Sprint Race in China.

His only other top-three finish this season came in the Sprint Race in Miami, and he’s regularly quicker during the final stages of a race, suggesting that he has a better grasp of how to handle the car when there’s less fuel onboard.

Peter Windsor believes Ferrari’s brakes are causing Hamilton issues, suggesting that he’s changed his technique since the start of his career.

That tallies up with what Kevin Magnussen has said about this generation of F1 cars, which need to be driven very differently from the previous era.

Ferrari decided against switching out their Brembo brakes last season, but it will be interesting if they reconsider that move if it turns out it’s a contributing factor to Hamilton being marginally off the pace compared to Leclerc.