The arrival of Lewis Hamilton in Maranello could not have been more fanfare, it was as though the reincarnation of Michael Schumacher was walking through the factory doors.
He was given a personal tour of the facilities by non other than Ferrari group president John Elkann, who the Italian media report was a key individual in the recruitment of the seven times world champion.
John Elkann is no motorsport buff and it seemed the mega deal done to bring Lewis to Ferrari was three years too late. Hamilton has been struggling since losing the 2021 drivers’ title race to Max Verstappen, beaten easily by his junior team mate George Russell at Mercedes.
Hamilton vocal in ’25 about Ferrari failings
There was a question mark over whether the Mercedes cars since 2022 have really met the ground effect brief and so Hamilton’s move to Maranello was intriguing to see if Ferrari had created a more usable product for the British driver.
Lewis has been vocal this year about the failings at Ferrari, together with some unusual outbursts of self disbelief in his own abilities. Ferrari have throughout the season been receiving ‘the Hamilton files’ as Lewis has documented specific car specific details along with ‘organisational structural issues’ in an attempt to bring some ‘Mercedes’ to the proud home of the Scuderia.
This has not gone down well in Italy, as reported by the Italian press, with a number of engineers reportedly stating they never wanted Hamilton to join the team in the first place. The claim that “90% of Ferrari insiders didn’t want Hamilton” came from former Ferrari driver Arturo Marzario, who said that the signing was more of a “commercial operation” than a racing one.
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Lewis negativity seen across the season
Hamilton’s stream of negativity is reflected in a selection of his many comments made throughout the 2025 season.
“We just don’t have any stability. The rear end is not planted, so it’s sliding, snapping a lot… it’s a fight like you couldn’t believe.”…. “I honestly thought I was further along than I was and then I got here for P1, and I was like, ‘I still got a way to go.'”
“It’s been the worst season ever. No matter how much I try, it just keeps going worse.”….”I’m eager for it to end, I’m looking forward to it ending. I’m not looking forward to the next one… [meaning] Next season.”
“I feel terrible. It’s a terrible result. There is nothing positive to take from today.”….”I don’t know how we made the car worse.”…”It’s still tough. It’s a tough balance to drive and it’s not a comfortable one. It’s not one that I want to have in future.”
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Ferrari president tells Hamilton to keep quiet
Following both Ferrari drivers DNF’s in Brazil, John Elkann was scathing in public about the complaints from his drivers. He praised the engineers and the mechanics for improving the SF-25,but concluded: “We have drivers who need to focus more and talk less, because we still have important races to come, and finishing second in the constructors isn’t impossible.”
Since then Lewis failed to make it out of Q1 in Las Vegas and yesterday in both the Sprint and the Grand Prix qualifying in Qatar. Leclerc barely made it into the top ten at Lusail, and had used all his new tyres to get there, so finished the session P10.
Hamilton has been questioned throughout the year whether he would quit or could be sacked from his role at Ferrari, yet his response has always been to claim he is there for the long term. Its widely believed he has not justice contract for 2026, but an option he alone controls to race again for the Scuderia in 2027.
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Marked change in Lewis’ rhetoric
Yet in Qatar his rhetoric has significantly changed, almost as though he’s pleading to be retained by Elkann and the team. Speaking to Sky F1 after another painful Q1 exit in Qatar he revealed his current plight was giving him sleepless nights.
“Last night I was up till 6 am, I couldn’t sleep and I’m just thinking what can I do more to improve, what can I do more to serve my engineers even better, what other changes can be made, just writing down all these different questions that I can then write another proposal that I can make.”
Gone are the revelations of his master plan to make Ferrari great again – MFGA doesn’t slip off the tongue quite so well. Now Hamilton is expressing his sympathy for the engineers within the team and taking full responsibility for his woeful performances when compared to his team mate.
“The pain I feel for all those in the garage but also everyone back at the factory who deserve good results, but it’s not for the lack of trying. I won’t give up, we’ll keep pushing. Even with all these difficult days, I have faith.”
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Hamilton ‘shop steward’ role implied
After the Sprint Lewis again blamed the media for the physiological toll their negative reporting on the Scuderia has taken on the staff in Maranello this season. Yet Lewis once the darling of the British media, is merely discovering what Ferrari drivers and team principals have been suffering for decades.
There’s a distinct sense of Hamilton aligning himself with the engineers back in Maranello in his latest comments, rather than the driving force telling them they need to do a better job.
The question is has Elkann’s very public admonishment of Hamilton and Leclerc been backed up with a quiet internal conversation which threatens his control over his destiny until 2027.
Of course Lewis will line up alongside Charles Leclerc in 2026, given no F1 team thus far believes switching drivers with the massive regulation change coming is a sensible course of action. Yet his newly found role of shop steward for the poor folk back at base in Maranello, fells like a plea for support rather than someone confident they are in control of their ultimate destiny.
Leaks reveal more chaos at Aston Martin
If Alpine have experienced a tumultuous ride in terms of chopping and changing its leadership team, Aston Martin have now trumped them as the Formula One paddocks most chaotic competitor in terms of its internal organisation. Four team principals in just four seasons sees the Silverstone team with the highest turnover of bosses now on the grid.
Even Ferrari who tend to allow their team bosses a three year operating window before moving them on now look comparatively stable when compared the high state of flux in Silverstone.
Adrian Newey explained well the reason for the next ‘all change’ in Silverstone, crediting the former Aston Martin team boss and CEO, Andy Cowell, with the work he did in Brixworth which made Mercedes uber dominant over a decade ago…. READ MORE
A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
Andrew’s work focuses particularly on the intersection of Formula 1 politics, regulation, and team strategy. Andrew closely follows developments involving the FIA, team leadership, and driver market dynamics, helping to provide context behind the sport’s biggest stories.
With experience covering multiple seasons of Formula 1’s modern hybrid era, Andrew has developed a detailed understanding of how regulatory changes and competitive shifts influence the grid. Andrew’s editorial approach prioritises clarity and context, aiming to help readers navigate complex developments within the sport.
In addition to editorial duties, Andrew is particularly interested in how media narratives shape fan perception of Formula 1, and how reporting can balance speed with accuracy in an increasingly digital news environment.
