“Disturbing and painful” as Italy turns on Hamilton whilst the Ferrari dream crumbles into a full-blown crisis – Lewis Hamilton’s long-awaited chapter with Ferrari is spiralling into a bleak and almost tragic storyline playing out in full public view. What was once expected to be a career-defining finale is quickly turning into one of the most uncomfortable spectacles in recent Formula 1 history.
Following another lacklustre performance at the Spanish Grand Prix, the Italian media’s tone has shifted from cautious optimism to outright mourning and, in some quarters, open hostility. From Barcelona to Maranello, the narrative has shifted from promise to failure, from legacy to collapse. Ferrari’s seven-time world champion is no longer seen as a saviour, but as a symbol of something broken, perhaps irreparably so.
Verstappen ‘treated harshly’ says ex-team principal
Hamilton humiliated when Sauber overtook him
At first glance, qualifying offered a faint glimmer of hope. For the first time this season, Hamilton outperformed his teammate Charles Leclerc on a Saturday, securing a better position on the grid. But any satisfaction was short-lived. On race day, the 40-year-old was anonymous and outclassed, and by the end he was outright embarrassed.
Even worse, it wasn’t a McLaren or a Red Bull that delivered the fatal blow, but a Sauber. Nico Hülkenberg, driving for Ferrari’s customer team, overtook Hamilton in the final stages of the race. This wasn’t just any defeat; it was a humiliating blow for the man who arrived in Italy just a few months ago to rapturous applause and feverish expectation.
The image of Hamilton being overtaken by a backmarker-powered version of his own machinery has become a symbol of how quickly and painfully his dream has collapsed.
Why calls for a Verstappen ban are ridiculous
There was no joy, no hope and no “Still We Rise”
Hamilton’s post-race interview painted a picture of a man scraping the bottom of his emotional reserves. There was none of the famous optimism or resilience that once made ‘Still We Rise’ feel like more than just a slogan. Instead, viewers saw a dejected, joyless figure with sunken eyes and a hollowed-out spirit.
“I’ve never had an experience like that in terms of balance,” said Hamilton, branding the weekend one of the worst of his entire Formula 1 career. Given the drama and difficulty he has endured in his 18-season racing career, that is no small claim.
Melancholy headlines and the death of a fairytale
Italy’s press, once giddy with excitement over the arrival of their British superstar, is now mourning a relationship that appears to have soured beyond repair.
“The respect for this great champion, the melancholy of seeing him like this, defeated and discouraged,” wrote Corriere della Sera, summing up the nation’s collective sense of disillusionment.
Another line hit even harder: ‘The enthusiasm that carried him to Maranello in a joyful and jubilant mood is now a disturbing and painful memory.”
It’s not just the disappointment of the results; it’s the emotional hangover from the expectation. Hamilton was supposed to be the knight in shining armour. Instead, just nine races into the season, the relationship between Hamilton and Ferrari has been described as a ‘love affair in total crisis’.
Is the Ferrari team adrift?
There is a growing feeling in both the paddock and the press that Hamilton’s frustration goes beyond the car’s poor performance. Some in Italy are beginning to whisper — or shout — about a deeper incompatibility: a failure of integration between driver and team.
“Hamilton seems trapped,” goes the commentary, “caught between the search for some elusive ‘magic powder’ and the creeping suspicion that Ferrari neither understands nor truly supports him.”
Whether or not this is fair, it taps into a long-standing fear among fans and pundits: that despite all its history and prestige, Ferrari remains structurally incapable of providing any driver — even the most decorated in F1 history — with the tools they need to win.
Once reverent fans are now ‘merciless accusers’
The reaction among the Tifosi, Ferrari’s famously passionate supporters, has been just as brutal. Where there was once reverence, there is now doubt. And where there was once adoration, there is increasingly cold critique.
“Far too many admirers have become merciless accusers,” reports the Italian media.
The shift has been stark. Not only has Hamilton failed to win a Grand Prix in red, he has also failed to inspire the belief that victory is even plausible.
What began as a sporting story has become something more existential. The Hamilton-Ferrari partnership is no longer a story of what could be, but of what is not working.
Can the relationship be salvaged?
Despite the gloom, the season isn’t over yet. Technically, Hamilton and Ferrari have time to turn things around. However, with each passing race, that hope seems more and more delusional. It’s not just the results; it’s also the body language, the radio messages and the stony silences.
The fire that should have been ignited by this historic partnership seems to have fizzled out before it ever truly took hold. Even Hamilton’s most loyal supporters are finding it hard to explain what has gone wrong and, more importantly, how to put things right.
At Ferrari, the message has always been that passion conquers all. But right now, passion is exactly what’s missing from the Hamilton camp.
This is a final chapter that nobody expected
For many, 2025 was supposed to be a fairy-tale ending: Hamilton in scarlet red, lifting Ferrari back to glory and writing one last heroic chapter to his already legendary career. However, the reality is shaping up to be something far more haunting; the slow-motion unravelling of an icon in a setting that was meant to restore him, not destroy him.
The dream of Maranello was supposed to set Hamilton free. Instead, it has become a weight around his neck. Unless something changes soon, this story won’t end in champagne and confetti, but in quiet, painful resignation.
Why Lance Stroll is considering retirement
MORE F1 NEWS – F1 fans rob Piastri
Farcical calls for F1 change amidst claims Piastri was “robbed” – Formula One is in a new era under the ownership of Liberty Media. Gone are the days when FOM protects all intellectual property rights to the term “F1” and hounds independent websites to change their names due to these rights.
Now F1 marketing is all about interaction with the fans. It is the fans who flood the internet with F1 posts which stir up debate and provide the all important clicks which see the sport hitting the headlines week in and out.
A number of decisions made since Liberty brought out the commercial rights to the sport have been to encourage this fan engagement, one of which is the vote for driver of the day on Sunday. Now a number of approved news outlets are calling for this vote to be dropped given the decisions by the fans this season have often been out of keeping with the ‘expert broadcasters’ views…. READ MORE
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
