What people in F1 kept saying about Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari struggles at the Belgian Grand Prix

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Lewis Hamilton did not have the weekend Ferrari were hoping for at the Belgian Grand Prix. While Charles Leclerc grabbed another podium, he was left fighting through the midfield.

Ferrari debuted their rear suspension upgrade at Spa, which they hoped would bring them closer to the front of the pack. It did little to challenge the McLarens as they grabbed another 1-2 finish in dominant style.

The Belgian Grand Prix also came as the seven-time champion had begun asking for changes in Maranello. Hamilton sent ‘documents’ to Ferrari staff detailing where he felt the team could improve operationally.

But despite his demands, he suffered more woes in 2025 as a spin in SQ1 left him eliminated in 18th. He could only climb to P15 on Saturday, and things did not improve in regular qualifying.

Hamilton set a time quick enough to get into Q2, but exceeded track limits at Raidillon and was demoted to 16th. Peter Windsor felt this was ‘inexcusable’ from Hamilton as he suffered two early qualifying exits.

The Brit did recover in Sunday’s race, however, as he produced some stunning overtakes after starting from the pit lane. Hamilton executed a brilliant strategy as he finished P7, but it was still far from what Ferrari and many in the paddock were expecting.

People in F1 feel Lewis Hamilton is also ‘not firing properly’ at Ferrari after the Belgian Grand Prix

Despite the rear suspension upgrade, the Brit still encountered issues with the SF-25. F1 fans slammed Ferrari’s ‘incompetence’ as Hamilton complained about running out of fuel.

But as journalist Nate Saunders notes, the 40-year-old’s poor performances in qualifying hampered his weekend, and it could not have come at a worse time amid his demands to Ferrari for changes. It has left many feeling that he is also not delivering in 2025.

“What was interesting to me and this is a few people [who] said this in the paddock over the weekend,” said Saunders via ESPN’s Unlapped podcast.

“It was, I think, quite a poorly timed weekend to have that kind of weekend for Lewis, because he’d come into the week talking about all the work he’s doing behind the scenes to push Ferrari forward.

“He’s identified a lot of areas where he wants them to improve. And this is one of the things he should be doing. He’s coming in with a wealth of experience, he’s a seven-time world champion, he’s won more than anyone else in Formula 1.

“So, he should be doing that and Ferrari should be listening to him. And he said: ‘I don’t want to be like Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel who came here and didn’t win championships’.

“And then it just seemed, of all the weekends to have kind of a self-inflicted bad week, it was like, well, maybe one of the places that also isn’t firing properly, is also Lewis.”

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Lewis Hamilton has done something ‘detrimental’ at Ferrari with latest comments says Gary Anderson

Ferrari are shifting focus to 2026 and the new regulations. Their new rear suspension will not only help them push further in 2025, but also put them in good standing to perform next season, which could be Hamilton’s last chance to win an eighth championship.

But as Spa proved, there are still countless issues with the team and the Brit to iron out ahead of 2026. Alex Jacques thinks Ferrari made things ‘very difficult’ for Hamilton due to the Sprint weekend, speaking exclusively to F1 Oversteer.

But his comments to the Maranello outfit before the race about needing to change things may rub off the wrong way, especially with his performance. Gary Anderson says Hamilton sending e-mails to Ferrari could be ‘detrimental’ to building their relationship.

Ferrari are notorious for working in a certain way, and any changes could derail them on their course for success. Of course, they will appreciate Hamilton’s feedback as he is statistically the greatest F1 driver of all time, but they will also want his results to pick up.