Lewis Hamilton has no answer for one question F1 paddock figures are now ‘asking’ the Ferrari driver

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Lewis Hamilton has arrived at Zandvoort for the 2025 F1 Dutch Grand Prix looking to “drown out the noise” that has engulfed his underwhelming first season with Ferrari.

The 40-year-old admitted on Thursday that he wants to block out the “noise” that followed his move to Ferrari for the 2025 F1 season and get back to enjoying his driving. Hamilton is still waiting for his first Grand Prix podium finish in red and boasts just 109 points this term.

Never before since F1 introduced its current point-scoring system in the 2010 campaign had Hamilton scored fewer points through 14 rounds than the 109 he has so far earned with the pride of Italy. Bernie Ecclestone has urged Hamilton to retire given his woes in 2025, as well.

Hamilton had always scored at least one Grand Prix podium through the first 10 rounds of a season in his 19-year F1 career before joining Ferrari. His woes also hit a new high before the summer break, as Hamilton suggested Ferrari “need to change driver” at the Hungarian GP.

The F1 paddock is now questioning where Lewis Hamilton’s magic has gone

Ferrari also saw Hamilton brand himself “useless” after qualifying P12 for the Hungarian GP, which he went on to finish in P12. It marked the seven-time champion’s first failure to score a point in a Grand Prix that he finished for the Maranello natives with 10 rounds still to play.

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

The F1 paddock is also questioning where Hamilton’s magic has gone ahead of the Dutch GP at Zandvoort this weekend. According to Andrew Benson, even Hamilton is not sure where his magic has gone after starting to lose it while the Briton was still at Mercedes last season.

Benson said on The BBC’s Chequered Flag podcast: “He made some sort of uncharacteristic mistakes in qualifying in Spa. When have you ever seen him before get a track limits thing wrong in Q1 and not qualify as a result, like he did in Spain?

“And one of the questions that people are asking is it feels like, ‘Where’s the magic gone?’. Hamilton produced magic on a regular basis all the way throughout his career.

“But it hasn’t really been happening for the last 18 months or so. I’m not sure why, and I’m not sure he knows why, either.”

Lewis Hamilton will want to rediscover his magic for momentum into the 2026 regulations

While the F1 paddock now has questions, Mercedes driver George Russell believes Hamilton was “talking nonsense” calling himself useless. The Briton believes his former teammate has proven this season that he still has gas in the tank after Hamilton won the F1 Sprint in China.

Ferrari saw Hamilton win the Shanghai Sprint from pole position in round two of the season back in March. But his Grand Prix results are yet to match what the seven-time F1 champion enjoyed in the Sprint in China with his best Grand Prix result P4 in Imola, Austria and Britain.

Hamilton has now had the summer break to cool off after his gut-wrenching weekend at the Hungarian GP. So, the 40-year-old and Ferrari will hope he can now prove Russell was right and build some momentum in the final 10 rounds of 2025 to take into the 2026 regulations.