São Paulo, Brazil – Lewis Hamilton's frustration reached a boiling point at the São Paulo Grand Prix, as he described the weekend as "another write-off" amid Ferrari's ongoing struggles. The seven-time world champion, who joined the Scuderia at the start of the 2025 season, has yet to find his footing with the Italian team, leading to increased scrutiny and questions about the future.
Hamilton's woes were evident during qualifying, where he was eliminated in Q2 and could only manage a 13th-place starting position. This followed a similar result in the sprint qualifying, compounding his disappointment. In contrast, his teammate Charles Leclerc progressed smoothly to the final part of qualifying, highlighting the performance gap between the two drivers.
"The set-up is fine, just couldn't get the tyres working," Hamilton lamented, pointing to persistent issues with tire temperatures. He further elaborated that he couldn't get the rears up to temperature, which hindered his performance. When questioned about his mental state, Hamilton was candid, admitting, "Um... not great, not great. It just continues to go bad every weekend, but I'll get up tomorrow and try again".
Ferrari's 2025 season has been marked by inconsistency and an inability to extract the maximum potential from the SF-25. Despite architectural changes and aerodynamic updates introduced at the beginning of the season, the car has proven difficult to unlock, with a narrow operating window and sensitivity to ride-height changes. A double disqualification after the Chinese Grand Prix, due to plank wear and Leclerc's car being underweight, served as a turning point, forcing the team to adopt more conservative setups.
Strategy indecision, misjudged weather calls, and tire choices have also plagued Ferrari, costing them valuable points. While the team has demonstrated clinical pit stops, small mistakes have often snowballed into lost podiums. Leclerc, despite securing a pole position in Hungary and multiple podium finishes, has also voiced concerns about the car's lack of pace in slow-speed corners.
The lack of race wins this season is a stark contrast to the expectations surrounding Ferrari, especially with the addition of Hamilton to the driver lineup. While Leclerc has managed seven podium finishes, Hamilton is yet to stand on the podium. This has led to speculation about Hamilton's long-term future with Ferrari, although he has dismissed rumors of an early exit, stating that he has a "pretty long contract".
Looking ahead, Ferrari faces concerns about the performance of its 2026 engine, with reports suggesting it may lag behind Mercedes. The team has also seen key personnel departures, creating a temporary "gap" in the Engine Department. Despite these challenges, Ferrari insists that its focus remains on developing a competitive power unit for the new regulations.
As for the immediate future, Hamilton's expectations for the São Paulo Grand Prix are low: "I'm not expecting anything to be honest, but we'll see what happens, it's another write-off weekend I guess". With limited overtaking opportunities at Interlagos, the British driver faces an uphill battle to salvage anything from what has been a frustrating weekend.
