Ferrari have accepted that they may ‘never’ eliminate one Lewis Hamilton issue that’s any driver’s nightmare

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Lewis Hamilton still hasn’t scored a podium for Ferrari as the halfway point of the season approaches. This weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix is round 11 out of 24.

Hamilton’s podium drought could stretch to 13 races, which would be the longest of his career. He’s made plenty of unwanted personal history during F1’s ground-effect era.

Teammate Charles Leclerc has scored three podiums in the sister car, but it’s clear that the SF-25 has been fundamentally flawed up to this point. A double disqualification in China rather set the tone in that respect.

Hamilton thought he could challenge for the title when he joined Ferrari in the winter. But the team have fallen so far short of expectations that Fred Vasseur has come under pressure.

Ferrari unlikely to fully solve their lift-and-coast issues with Austrian Grand Prix upgrade

According to The Race, Ferrari will introduce a new package of updates at the Austrian GP this weekend. These will address the car’s ‘reliance on lift-and-coast’.

In recent races, Hamilton and Leclerc have been repeatedly asked to release the brakes and cruise into the corner. This is a means of protecting the car, but it’s a nightmare for any racing driver because it inevitably bleeds lap time.

It’s been a ‘major issue’ for Ferrari in 2025 as they look to control their skid-block wear – the issue that led to Hamilton’s DSQ in Shanghai – and their brake temperatures.

The hope is that the Spielberg developments ameliorate this problem. But there’s also an acceptance that it may ‘never’ be totally solved, so the two drivers could still receive some dreaded radio instructions before the year is out.

Lewis Hamilton has major gripe with Ferrari engineers after first 10 races

Former team boss Toto Wolff says Hamilton should never be written off. He believes there’s a pattern of the seven-time world champion coming alive in the second half of the season.

Hamilton didn’t score a podium in the first nine rounds of 2024, but he ended the year with five, including two race victories. He should, in theory, improve even more this season as he becomes more accustomed to the Ferrari’s handling characteristics.

The complicating factor there is that the team are in the process of shifting resources to 2026, just like the rest of the grid (to varying degrees). Thus, Hamilton may become more comfortable in the car, but it might not show in the headline results if the team willingly sacrifice ground in the development race.

Heading into next year, he needs to hone his relationship with his engineers. Hamilton thinks Ferrari are making ‘counterintuitive’ setup choices, which means he can’t fulfil the SF-25’s potential.