Lewis Hamilton faces a similar situation at Ferrari to what he did when he had ‘no hope’ at McLaren

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Lewis Hamilton’s 2025 Formula 1 season has undoubtedly been one of the toughest of his career so far.

The Briton sits sixth in the drivers’ championship, and any dream of achieving a record-breaking eighth title feels like a long way away. Joining Ferrari hasn’t been a nightmare, but he hasn’t quite delivered what was expected of him before making the move.

Hamilton knows that heading into the 2026 F1 regulations, he faces a bit of a now-or-never situation. If he can’t find a way to elevate his performance, then his time with the Scuderia risks coming to an abrupt and disappointing end.

The paddock thinks Oliver Bearman may replace Hamilton, but the 20-year-old is just a rookie and needs more time before being linked with such a move. Hamilton will be relieved Bearman has more ‘proving’ to do, as it gives him more time to find that championship-winning pace within his car.

READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton’s body language after summer break labelled a cause for Ferrari concern

Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari situation is similar to when he had ‘no hope’ after podium-less run at McLaren

Fans think Ferrari are blaming their drivers for their poor performance, rather than looking at themselves for the SF25’s shortfalls. At times, even Charles Leclerc has struggled with the car, and it looks set to be their first machine since 2021 to go an entire season without winning.

Leclerc has admitted he isn’t on Hamilton’s level, despite beating him comfortably in their head-to-head this year. One of the most frustrating parts of the Briton’s season has been his inability to reach the top three. For the first time in his career, he may go an entire campaign without achieving a podium.

Hamilton has been on a similar run to his before, back in 2009, when McLaren struggled to adapt to a new set of regulations.

After a poor Spanish Grand Prix, he revealed that despite driving the socks off his car, he had ‘no hope’ for a result, which isn’t dissimilar to 2025. At times, he has given his all, only to appear dejected after a session, such as in Hungary, when Hamilton said he should be replaced.

“What can I do? I drove my heart out, as I always do, it’s just that the car is not good,” he told The Standard. “I had no grip. It’s just a shame they [McLaren] haven’t given me a car to defend the championship with. It’s that bad because I’m driving the socks off it, yet there’s just no hope.

“I gave it 100% for the entire race, so ninth place doesn’t feel like the proper reward for the team who worked hard all weekend.”

READ MORE: Ferrari have now decided not to make one ‘profound’ change to Lewis Hamilton’s 2026 F1 car

How long did Lewis Hamilton suffer before getting back onto the podium with McLaren in 2009?

After leaving Catalunya in 2009, Hamilton’s season got a whole lot worse before it started to get better again.

Spain was round five, and with the exception of a disqualification in Australia, he had been classified in the top 10 at every race.

In the four races that followed, he finished between 12th and 18th in each of them, being forced to wait until round 10 in Hungary for his first piece of silverware, when he won in emphatic fashion.

This year, insiders feel that Hamilton won’t adapt to difficult Ferrari setups in a bid to extract a little more pace from his car, which might not have helped his cause.

However, it won’t be the only reason for his downfall, or explain why Ferrari have been so slow overall. They took a gamble on car design over the winter, and it backfired. For 2026, they must get it right.