Lewis Hamilton has vowed that his initial struggles with Ferrari in Formula 1 are similar to the experience he encountered during his opening six months at Mercedes.
Hamilton’s much-anticipated Ferrari spell hasn’t matched the enthusiasm attached to his groundbreaking move as the first five races haven’t inspired a single podium.
The Briton has come unstuck in an attempt to build on notching Ferrari’s sole win to date in 2025 in the China Sprint, losing to Charles Leclerc in each race since then.
Hamilton’s most recent defeat to his team-mate in Saudi Arabia saw him trail 30 seconds behind, prompting him to admit he is poised to endure a “painful” campaign.
But having insisted he won’t give up, Hamilton has recollected that he went through an identical adaptation process when he departed McLaren for Mercedes in 2013.
“When I joined Mercedes, the first six months were tough getting attuned to working with new people,” Hamilton recalled to media including Motorsport Week.
“The engineers I’m working with now are used to setting up a car for a different driver and a different driving style, and I’m used to driving a car with a different driving style.
“So it’s a combination of a bunch of different things.”
Hamilton would go on to rewrite the record books during an illustrious spell with Mercedes as he clinched six Drivers’ titles in seven seasons between 2014 and 2021.
Asked whether he was expecting a similar six-month timeline to start unlocking his best level at Ferrari, Hamilton responded: “I really don’t know. I generally don’t.
“We’re working as hard as we can to shorten that, but it could be longer. Who knows?”
Hamilton’s Maranello examination
Hamilton revealed that he utilised the gap prior to this weekend’s race in Miami to return to Ferrari’s base in Maranello to explore the cause behind his recent troubles.
“Spent some good time in Italy,” he divulged. “We went through a lot, did some good sim running.
“There are things that we’ve made adjustments to. We’ll see how they work this weekend.”
But with Ferrari’s capricious SF-25 remaining unchanged, Hamilton admitted that he must maximise the car’s potential more than he has managed in previous races.
“We’ll do the best we can,” he expressed. “We’ve not got upgrades or anything this weekend, but we continue to try and optimise the car.
“Obviously, Charles in the last race [third in Saudi Arabia] did a fantastic job and showed what the car can do in a race. So the goal is to try to replicate that.”
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