Lewis Hamilton felt like Mercedes staff all ‘worked for him’ but everything was different at Ferrari

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Lewis Hamilton felt as if he was a ‘hero’ at Mercedes and lacks the same status at Ferrari, one of his old colleagues has said.

Hamilton won a record-breaking 84 races and six world championships with Mercedes. He made 246 appearances for the team between 2013 and 2024, the longest ever stint with one constructor.

The British driver chose to join Ferrari to fulfil a lifelong dream and, in his eyes, boost his chances of an eighth world championship, but he has only scored one podium in his first 28 races for the team.

Prime Max Verstappen and prime Lewis Hamilton. Equal car, one lap. Who’s faster?

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Lewis Hamilton has lost a ‘tenth’ of a second because Ferrari don’t treat him like a ‘leader’

Car designer Aldo Costa worked with Hamilton at Mercedes between 2013 and 2019. He says the former McLaren driver relished feeling like the team ‘leader’.

But despite his status as the most successful driver in F1 history, Ferrari staff naturally didn’t worship him to the same extent. Instead, teammate Charles Leclerc had been with the team for nearly a decade, stretching back to his days in the academy, so his bond with the Maranello staff was greater.

Costa suspects this affected Hamilton’s motivation, potentially costing him around a tenth on the track. His first season at Maranello was an enormous disappointment, but there are signs of an improvement at the start of 2026.

• READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton used to ring Mercedes technical department to give them ‘aerodynamic advice’

“At Mercedes, he was always used to being the charismatic leader on the track,” Costa told Terruzzi Racconta. “He always felt like the one who has the people behind him, working for him.

“They design the car, give it to him and he, like a hero, reaches the finish line first. He was always drawn to this responsibility.

“Maybe at Ferrari, at the beginning, he doesn’t feel in this role. Drivers, human beings, if they don’t have complete motivation, they can lose a tenth of a second.”

How Fred Vasseur is making Lewis Hamilton feel valued at Ferrari

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur, who worked with Hamilton in the junior categories and was instrumental in the signing, was attentive to this issue.

He acknowledges that Hamilton struggled last year because he hadn’t been involved in the development of the SF-25, something that had become routine at Mercedes.

Heading into 2026, Ferrari made sure Hamilton was involved in key development decisions. Vasseur says this was a boost to his morale.