Hamilton accused of play acting ‘despair’ – Lewis Hamilton’s first season in Ferrari red has been less renaissance, more reality check. The seven-time World Champion, whose move from Mercedes to Maranello was hailed as the defining transfer of the decade, has endured a campaign of near misses, midfield finishes and a growing collection of despondent soundbites.
Last time out Hungary Hamilton, stunned the paddock pundits when he described his qualifying performances as “utterly useless” even suggesting Ferrari should replace him. Yet TJ13’s sources reveal, Hamilton may well have been ‘play acting’ to some extent, given the battles he is facing in Maranello.
Lewis had previously revealed he has prepared a number of dossiers for the engineers at Ferrari, which include specific on improving this seasons SF-25 along with advice for those developing the all new power unit on how to make the regeneration effect less harsh for the drivers to deal with.
Hamilton acting, he’s not “useless!”
Its in this area Lewis has struggled the most in adapting from Mercedes to Ferrari, with engine braking significantly more aggressive than what he was accustomed to. This not only affects his cornering technique but also fundamentally alters the car’s handling under deceleration. By all accounts the British driver’s redesign documents have not gone down well in Maranello, with engineers feeling as though Lewis is suggesting their designs are flawed and they should operate more like his old team.
The ‘play acting’ theory is based on the fact the seven times champion is clearly not “useless,” and that in fact he was sending a message back to Ferrari HQ. Hamilton closed his self flagellation efforts in Budapest, by revealing “there’s a lot going on in the background that is not great.” Yet Ferrari grandee who remains close to many of the senior personal in Maranello disagrees. Arturo Merzario, a veteran of the Scuderia’s 1970s era, and a man best remembered for saving Niki Lauda from the Nürburgring inferno, tells La Gazzetta he believes Hamilton must remain patient, rather than wasting energy on battles for eighth place.
“It’s not over. He is just waiting for the right opportunity,” Merzario explained. “He will only risk when necessary, not for an eighth position. Also because, if he ever wanted to leave, he would find another team. Hamilton has already shown what he is worth. It’s not Charles Leclerc’s situation: Charles still has to prove that he is a champion.”
Merzario’s own Ferrari stint ended in 1973 and was soured by tension with teammate Jacky Ickx and even Enzo Ferrari himself. His decision to walk away before the season’s end adds a touch of irony to his advice to Hamilton, though the sentiment carries weight: survival at Ferrari often requires not just speed, but patience and steel.
“90% of Ferrari insiders” didn’t want Hamilton
When Hamilton signed with Ferrari, the deal was trumpeted as a perfect alignment of icons. Yet, as Merzario notes, it has not yet resembled a racing project built for victory. “In my opinion, Hamilton’s arrival in Maranello was a commercial operation,” said the 82-year-old Italian. “Ninety per cent of Ferrari insiders disagreed, at least as far as I know. And then, when a driver does not feel valued or an integral part of the group to achieve a goal, he loses motivation. Why go crazy to gain three tenths while still remaining on the third row?”
For Hamilton, the Maranello honeymoon was been brief. Qualifying woes have placed him outside the sharp end of the grid, and Hungary provided the most glaring evidence of his struggles as he failed to make the top ten shootout for both the Saint and the Grand Prix. Team mate Charles Leclerc has finished ahead of Lewis on twelve of the fourteen races on Sunday this year, and is 10-4 down in the qualifying head to head stats.
Merzario suggested Hamilton’s words about being “useless” should not be taken too literally. “I think his reaction was ironic in some respects,” he said. “Certainly his position was not what a seven-time world champion could imagine. Rather, it seems to me that Lewis is feeling ‘demolished’ by Ferrari.”
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The psychological weight of Maranello
Here the Judge pauses. Ferrari, a team with unrivalled mystique, has long been accused of crushing the spirits of even the strongest drivers. From Alain Prost’s bitter departure to Sebastian Vettel’s weary resignation, the red car often asks as much from the soul as from the stopwatch. Hamilton’s slump in body language may therefore be less about speed, more about the psychological weight of Maranello.
The notion of a “Ferrari curse” is not new. Drivers arrive with laurels and leave with grey hairs, muttering about politics and pressure. Hamilton, however, knew exactly what he was signing up for. He traded familiarity and control at Mercedes for a shot at immortality in red. That gamble always carried risk, and the early signs suggest it may take years rather than months to pay off.
For now, Ferrari trail behind Red Bull, McLaren and even Mercedes in the pecking order. The car is competent, but rarely spectacular. Yet are Hamilton’s documents the basis for Fred Vasseur to ring the changes at the most historic of F1 teams who have over the years been accused of having work silo’s which are stubborn and fail to co-operate with their internal ‘customers.’
Ferrari issue statement on behalf of Lewis
The culture and history at Ferrari is all encompassing, which is why the sleeping giant has failed to add to its championship trophy cabinet since 2008. Ferrari released a statement following Hamilton’s comments in Hungary, which seeks to quell the voices who now claim Lewis could quit the team before the end of the season.
“We weren’t able to make the progress we hoped for, but I’m grateful for the effort everyone in the team put in throughout the weekend. Now, we head into the break. I’ll be using the time to reset, recharge and come back stronger. I’m not where I want to be yet, but the fight’s not over – don’t count me out,” was attributed to Hamilton.
The notion that Hamilton was in some way sending a message to his team remains a possibility but can he rally his doubters in Maranello around him, or will Lewis find himself on the outside looking in?
Mercedes “5 year advantage on everyone”
With the Formula One Sumer shutdown in full swing, the teams are eyeing the return of their engineers and most will be now focused on developing the all new cars for 2026. Aston Martin brought upgrades last time out, which appeared to unlock he potential in the AMR25 as Alonso and Stroll scored good points finishing the Grand Prix in with and seventh respectively.
Williams were the first to dedicate their entire resources at 2026 back in April when the team principal confirmed all his engineers were committed to the project and should he find them working on this season’s challenger, “I would have removed the car from the wind tunnel myself” if needed—their entire focus is firmly on next year’s new rulebook-driven opportunity.
”Kick Sauber too have enjoyed recent success with a suite of upgrades to their c45 beginning in Spain, then phase two came in Austria before their final efforts for the year at the British Grand Prix. With Williams done with their car improvements, this has seen Aston Martin and Sauber close the 31 point gap to Williams, as it stood at the start of the European season, to just eighteen…. 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.
