Ferrari move to give Hamilton worst ever F1 record – Hamilton on the brink: Ferrari’s struggles could hand seven-time Champion his worst ever F1 streak – Lewis Hamilton’s highly anticipated move to Ferrari in 2025 has not only failed to deliver success, it is now threatening to create an unwanted chapter in his illustrious Formula 1 career.
As the paddock arrives in Spielberg for the Austrian Grand Prix, the 40-year-old Briton is on the verge of a new personal low. If he fails to finish in the top three, he will extend his longest ever streak without a podium finish to 13 races.
For a man with more wins, pole positions and podiums than anyone else in Formula 1 history, this looming milestone is as astonishing as it is sobering.
Ricciardo returns to F1 in Austria
A disastrous start to life in red
Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari was supposed to be the fairy-tale finale to a legendary career. Instead, it’s unravelling into a cautionary tale. Ten races into the 2025 season, Hamilton has yet to celebrate a podium finish. His only top-three finishes have come in the sprint races in Shanghai and Miami, both of which offered no more than a glimmer of hope in an otherwise barren campaign.
This bleak run could take a darker turn in Austria. If Hamilton fails to reach the podium again, it will be the first time in his 18-year Formula 1 career that he has failed to finish in the top three in 13 consecutive Grands Prix. The current dry spell stands at twelve races, equalling the lowest point of his career thus far.
Worryingly for Ferrari fans, there is little evidence to suggest that Spielberg will reverse his fortunes.
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Last time on the podium: Las Vegas, 2024
Hamilton’s last podium finish was in Las Vegas at the end of 2024, still racing for Mercedes. Since then, he has achieved three fourth-place finishes and two fifth-place finishes, but nothing that has signalled a breakthrough.
In the most recent round in Canada, he finished a frustrated sixth, matching the low point of his 2023–24 slump at Mercedes, during which he endured a dozen consecutive races without reaching the podium.
This weekend in Austria could break that tie, for all the wrong reasons.
Three dry spells and counting
Across nearly two decades of racing at the highest level, Hamilton has experienced only two comparably long podium droughts. The first occurred in the twilight of his early McLaren years, between late 2009 and mid-2010, when he went ten races without a top-three finish. The second emerged more recently, during the final phase of his Mercedes tenure between late 2023 and the opening rounds of 2024, as the once dominant team lost ground to Red Bull and McLaren.
However, the current Ferrari fiasco threatens to eclipse both of these.
Even more disheartening is the fact that Hamilton has never reached the podium in a main Grand Prix while driving for Ferrari. This is a shocking statistic for a driver of his calibre.
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Meanwhile, Leclerc delivers… sort of
Adding insult to injury, Charles Leclerc has shown that the SF-25 is not a lost cause. The Monegasque driver has made it onto the podium three times this year, in Saudi Arabia, Monaco and Barcelona, proving that Ferrari’s 2025 challenger is capable of finishing in the top three when driven with precision and luck.
The fact that Leclerc has achieved what Hamilton has not only highlights the difference between the two drivers. While still winless this year, Leclerc has demonstrated a greater ability to maximise the car’s potential, particularly on technical circuits and in changing conditions.
Hamilton, by contrast, seems out of sync with the car, unable to find the comfort or confidence needed to unlock its full potential.
Mounting pressure on Maranello
Inside the Ferrari garage, the pressure is mounting. Team principal Frédéric Vasseur has been quick to publicly defend Hamilton, stressing that the Briton needs more time to adapt to the Prancing Horse. Yet behind closed doors, the whispers are growing louder.
Is Hamilton struggling to adapt his driving style to the unique characteristics of the SF-25? Is Ferrari’s engineering department failing to tailor the car to his needs? Or is age finally catching up with the sport’s most decorated driver?
Whatever the answer, Ferrari knows it cannot afford to let this continue much longer. Their star signing is not just underperforming, he’s becoming emblematic of the team’s broader dysfunction.
Austria: Make or break?
As the Formula 1 circus arrives at the Red Bull Ring, Hamilton is not just facing a race, but a reputational crossroads. The Spielberg circuit’s fast, flowing nature has rarely favoured Ferrari in recent years, but the team is bringing updates to Austria in the hope of closing the gap on Red Bull and McLaren.
If Hamilton can capitalise on this, it could mark a turning point. If not, the record books will reflect a haunting milestone for one of Formula 1’s greatest talents ever.
However, as always with Hamilton, the story isn’t just about statistics. It’s about legacy. After years of battling at the front, rewriting records and defying critics, his time at Ferrari was supposed to be the crowning glory.
Right now, however, it risks becoming a cautionary tale instead.
Will the seven-time world champion find redemption in the Styrian hills, or will Austria etch his name into the history books for all the wrong reasons? All eyes will be on car number 44 this weekend.
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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.
