Ferrari made a big mistake when analysing Lewis Hamilton’s driving style before he joined from Mercedes

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Ferrari had a year to prepare for the arrival of Lewis Hamilton. The deal was announced in February 2024, even before he’d begun his final season with Mercedes.

Naturally, their focus was still on predecessor Carlos Sainz, and they couldn’t hold formal meetings with Hamilton, still an employee of a rival team. But in developing their 2025 concept, they must have taken his preferences into account.

Unfortunately, Hamilton still appears fundamentally uncomfortable in the Ferrari after more than half a season. Onboard footage, radio messages and interviews all lead to that conclusion.

This year’s Ferrari is clearly somewhat difficult to drive, but Charles Leclerc, who signed for the team back in 2019, has been able to adapt. Leclerc has scored all five of the team’s podiums so far and could still repeat his third-place finish from last season.

Ferrari ‘assumed’ that Lewis Hamilton had a very similar style to Charles Leclerc

A report from Gazzetta dello Sport details what’s gone wrong for Hamilton at Ferrari this season. It’s said that Leclerc’s set-up choices have been ‘much more consistent’.

Ralf Schumacher says Hamilton ‘can’t cope’ with a nervous rear end, and sure enough, the 40-year-old has been experimenting with the car to limit oversteer. This may be at odds with the inherent concept of the SF-25.

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Indeed, Ferrari ‘almost assumed’ during the winter that Hamilton and Leclerc had ‘similar preferences’, preferring a sharp front-end and controlling rear sliding through careful application of the throttle.

‘In reality, this wasn’t the case, which indicates their analysis of his driving style was flawed. In fact, the styles of the two drivers are so different that ‘data sharing within the garage’ has proven to be ‘unproductive’.

Lewis Hamilton has found that Ferrari’s simulator isn’t up to scratch

Because Hamilton’s feedback ‘diverges significantly’ from that of Leclerc, Ferrari can’t find ‘common ground’. This naturally raises ‘doubts about the 2026 car’.

Ferrari will either have to favour one of their drivers in development or find a compromise that may not get the best out of either.

Schumacher suspects that Ferrari are already focused on Leclerc given his superior performance levels this season. Hamilton can extend his contract until 2027 should he desire, but he’s unlikely to do so if the problems he’s experienced this year continue.

The consensus is that he’s been working relentlessly behind the scenes to find a solution. But Hamilton has encountered limitations with Ferrari’s simulator, specifically the limited number of base setups, and that is putting him at a disadvantage heading into race weekends.