Juan Pablo Montoya identifies the ‘problem’ between Lewis Hamilton and unyielding Ferrari engineers

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Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya has identified an ongoing issue with the dynamic between Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari engineers as the team tries to improve the results of the seven-time world champion.

Hamilton has been a shell of his former self since joining the 16-time constructors’ champions, and is currently on his longest streak in F1 without securing a top-three finish.

Charles Leclerc lobbied ‘hard’ for Hamilton to join Ferrari upon hearing that his team were interested in securing his talents. Fred Vasseur was another member of the team who was very interested in having the British driver as part of the ranks in Maranello.

Despite the sentiment that the 40-year-old is struggling, Hamilton’s 2025 record isn’t too dissimilar to his record at Mercedes last season. The main differences are his two Grand Prix victories at Silverstone and Spa in his final year at the German constructor.

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

Ferrari engineers are adamant that Lewis Hamilton needs to change his driving style

Speaking on the MontyoAS show with AS Colombia, former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya was asked if Ferrari did the right thing by replacing Carlos Sainz with Hamilton when considering the strides that the Spaniard was making with the Maranello-based outfit.

“If you look at Carlos’s first year at Ferrari, it wasn’t good,” Montoya started. “In fact, when they decided to sign Hamilton, Carlos was still having problems. Only afterwards did he start performing well.

“If it had been a year later, they might not have gone for Hamilton because Carlos was already doing better. So you need patience. It’s not easy.”

The Colombian then mentioned the ongoing struggles for the seven-time world champion, highlighting the incessant attitude of the Ferrari engineers who say Hamilton needs to adapt.

“Hamilton has been driving a certain way for many years, and it works,” Montoya continued. “The problem is that many engineers are saying, ‘No, this car needs to be driven differently, this car needs something else.’ But that car isn’t exactly good either.”

READ MORE: The five worst moments of Lewis Hamilton’s career in Formula 1

Oliver Bearman is the front-runner to replace Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari when he decides to call it quits

The possibility of Hamilton retiring at the end of 2025 is ‘legitimate’, according to former F1 driver Christian Danner. It’s impossible to rule out the departure of the seven-time world champion from the grid after his comments at the most recent Hungarian Grand Prix.

However, Ferrari are lining up Oliver Bearman as a replacement for Hamilton once he calls it a day on his illustrious career in the pinnacle of single-seater racing.

The young British driver impressed in his F1 debut with the team at last year’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, after he jumped into the appendicitis-stricken Carlos Sainz’s car and impressed on his way to seventh place.

It’s either Ferrari or retirement for Hamilton, as former F1 commentator James Allen can’t see the 40-year-old swapping Ferrari for another team on the grid and spending another season or two getting to grips with new machinery before he starts to see some progress.