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Verstappen Weighs In on Hamilton’s Struggles at Ferrari
Max Verstappen has shared his perspective on Lewis Hamilton’s ongoing difficulties at Ferrari, offering a candid take on the plight of his long-time rival.
The pair are no strangers to fierce competition. Their unforgettable 2021 title battle, which went down to the wire in Abu Dhabi, saw Verstappen claim his first world championship in dramatic fashion. Since then, the Dutchman has gone from strength to strength, adding three more titles and cementing his place at the top of the sport. Hamilton, meanwhile, has endured a downturn in fortunes. In the four seasons since, the seven-time world champion has managed only two race victories, far from the dominance he once enjoyed at Mercedes.
Seeking a fresh challenge, Hamilton opted to switch to Ferrari for the 2025 campaign in what was billed as one of the most significant transfers in Formula 1 history. Yet the move has not gone to plan. As the season heads into its latter stages, Hamilton has not stood on a grand prix podium even once, and he currently trails his team-mate Charles Leclerc by 46 points in the drivers’ standings. The 40-year-old has frequently looked downbeat in interviews, with his confidence seemingly dented by a lack of results.
Speaking to Italian media during the Italian Grand Prix, Verstappen admitted that Hamilton’s situation is complicated and not easy to judge from the outside. “It’s always difficult to know exactly what’s happening,” the Red Bull driver said. “I don’t know how he worked at Mercedes, I don’t know how he feels personally, and I don’t know what’s going on within the team. I don’t have any information about any of that. The point is, he went to a team that already had a very strong driver in Charles.”
Verstappen noted that joining a team where a driver is already deeply embedded presents a significant challenge. “It’s not easy to go there and immediately beat your team-mate, who is so well integrated, knows everyone in the team, and speaks the language,” he explained. He also highlighted the unpredictable nature of the current Formula 1 machinery. “With these cars, it can be quite difficult to understand why you’re sometimes fast and sometimes not.”
While Ferrari’s SF-25 has not had the performance to rival McLaren’s dominant package this year, Hamilton’s comparison to Leclerc has been troubling. Out of 16 qualifying sessions, Hamilton has been beaten 12 times by his younger team-mate. Those Saturday struggles have made it harder for him to climb through the field on Sundays, leaving him only sixth in the championship table.
This pattern continues a broader trend during Formula 1’s ground effect era. Since the 2022 regulation reset, Hamilton has only managed to finish ahead of a team-mate once over the course of a season, underlining how challenging recent years have been for the Briton.
Looking ahead, Hamilton and Ferrari’s hopes are now firmly set on 2026, when sweeping new technical regulations are due to reshape the grid. Both driver and team will be banking on a step forward in competitiveness. Hamilton, in particular, will be eager for cars that better suit his driving style and allow him to rediscover the form that once made him the benchmark in Formula 1.
For now, though, his adaptation to life at Ferrari remains an uphill battle—one that even his fiercest rival, Verstappen, acknowledges is harder than it might appear from the outside.
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