Lewis Hamilton has now broken F1’s unluckiest record after cruel debut season with Ferrari

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Lewis Hamilton has spent the majority of the 2025 Formula 1 season chasing answers for his lack of performance.

Unfortunately, Ferrari’s gamble with the SF25 backfired after making various ambitious changes to their concept last winter. For a team that missed out on the constructors’ championship by just 14 points in 2024, 2025 has been a dismal campaign.

They have no victories to show for their efforts, and Hamilton has been chasing his tail at almost every race. Heading into the 2026 F1 regulations, pressure is mounting on them to produce a good car. If they fail, then a lot of the patience that bosses and fans have shown with the team will vanish quickly.

Hamilton produced an ‘amazing’ moment to get himself in contention for a podium at the United States Grand Prix, impressing ex-teammate Jenson Button. However, Ferrari will be worried by Hamilton’s severe issue, which saw him lose five seconds on the last lap. They appear to have no explanation for it.

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Lewis Hamilton now has the most points without a podium during a Formula 1 season

Hamilton may sound defeated at Ferrari, but his demeanour almost matches that of teammate Charles Leclerc. Despite scoring six podiums this season, he hasn’t really been in the mix for much else. In fact, Hamilton achieved the team’s only winning trophy in China’s sprint race.

The Briton was expected to challenge for victories and appear on the rostrum multiple times this season, but things haven’t panned out that way. At most races, he has been lucky to contend for fifth place, and it’s why Hamilton is David Croft’s biggest disappointment.

For the first time in his 19-season career, Hamilton might be about to go through an entire campaign without scoring one podium. It puts his struggle into perspective and indicates that staying at Mercedes might have been better for him right now.

He has now also broken the record for scoring the most points in a Formula 1 season (142) without achieving a podium, beating the previous mark set by Ferrari’s Felipe Massa in 2011 (118). He still has five races to break that duck, but it isn’t looking likely amid a tense title battle at the front.

READ MORE: Ferrari are now monitoring potential Lewis Hamilton replacement after they were impressed by his data

Why Ferrari could be a dangerous contender for the 2026 F1 title

Ferrari gave up on this year’s car quite some time ago. They realise the importance of getting a head start for next year.

While Hamilton does have an option to extend his stay for one more year, it’s unlikely either side will want to continue if they suffer a repeat of 2025 in 2026.

Now is the time for all the extra preparation to pay dividends. While Red Bull and McLaren were focused on this year’s battle, Ferrari have been hard at work for 2026.

With Hamilton embedded within the team now, his experience can also be put to use. He will be able to guide Ferrari in the right direction and help push them in the direction of a title-winning outfit.