Lewis Hamilton told he’s done something ‘unworthy’ of a seven-time F1 champion since joining Ferrari

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Lewis Hamilton admitted that he is living a “nightmare” at Ferrari after his latest sorry showing during the 2025 season in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, having retired from P18.

Interlagos has seen Hamilton at his very best over the years, with three Grand Prix wins and three pole positions from 18 visits to Brazil so far. Hamilton also won the Sao Paulo GP from P10 on the grid for Mercedes in 2021 when he also rose from P20 to P5 in the 24-lap Sprint.

But Hamilton was never in contention to record his first Grand Prix podium finish as a Ferrari driver, let alone his first win in red, during the 2025 Sao Paulo GP. The 40-year-old retired on Lap 38 of 71 for his first DNF at Interlagos since 2012, when he was still racing with McLaren.

Ferrari retired the Briton’s car due to the damage to his floor from an opening lap crash with Alpine ace Franco Colapinto. Hamilton drew a penalty for his crash with Colapinto in the Sao Paulo GP, having hit the Argentine while recovering from contact with Williams’ Carlos Sainz.

Lewis Hamilton’s record with Ferrari is ‘unworthy’ of a seven-time F1 drivers’ champion

Hamilton has not finished higher than his P4s in Imola, Austria, Great Britain and the United States since joining Ferrari from Mercedes in 2025. The Scuderia also saw Hamilton bow out in Q2 during qualifying in Brazil, as he failed to reach Q3 for the sixth time so far this season.

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On top of his Grand Prix struggles in Sao Paulo, Hamilton only qualified P11 for the F1 Sprint and finished the 24-lap dash in P7. He now trails Charles Leclerc in their head-to-heads 16-5 for Grand Prix qualifying results and 15-3 for race results, as well as 3-2 for Sprint Qualifying.

The only highlight that Ferrari have been able to celebrate came when Hamilton won the F1 Sprint in China from pole position back in round two of the 21 held so far in 2025. And Mike Hezemans thinks Hamilton’s record with Ferrari is “unworthy” of a seven-time F1 champion.

Hezemans told RacingNews365: “It’s over now, so to speak. Every now and then, there is a silver lining, but it’s very sporadic. I’ve been saying it for three years.

“Since the introduction of ground-effect cars, Hamilton has never been mega good, never been mega fast again. Not in the Mercedes, and not in the Ferrari. He had one good Sprint race in China and one good qualifying session [for Ferrari]. But after that, it was nothing.

“This is unworthy of a seven-time world champion. Then, just like Max Verstappen, you have to crush your teammates, but he just can’t do it. And he’s also very negative.”

Lewis Hamilton’s F1 Sprint win in China remains his only highlight as a Ferrari driver

Hamilton and Ferrari capitalised on the Shanghai International Circuit’s smooth surface back in March to run his SF-25 as low to the ground as possible, which led to him taking pole with a 1:30.849. The Briton also went on to win the F1 Sprint at the Chinese Grand Prix by 6.889s.

But the record 105-time Grand Prix winner and record 104-time polesitter has not given the Maranello outfit much to celebrate since. Leclerc has shown the SF-25 has potential when it can be run low enough to the ground with his seven Grand Prix podiums, including two P2s.

Now, with only the races in Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi to go this year, Hamilton admits he is living a “nightmare” at Ferrari. The end of this season and the current regulation cycle cannot come soon enough as Hamilton pins all of his prospects on the 2026 F1 regulations.

Hamilton has never adapted to the ground-effect cars introduced in 2022 as they require a driving style, especially under braking, that does not suit the Stevenage-born star. But next year’s overhaul of the rulebook should yield cars that are better suited to his ideal method.