While the 2025 Formula 1 season will most likely go down as one of Lewis Hamilton‘s worst, a key improvement in recent races has gone somewhat under the radar.
Still yet to stand on a Grand Prix podium and now holding the record for the longest wait for a maiden podium in red, 2025 will officially be Hamilton’s driest season.
In fact, regardless of what occurs in the final four races, this will be the first season in the Brit’s 19-year career that he won’t achieve five or more podiums over a season.
It is safe to say that Hamilton has struggled in his maiden season with Ferrari and the rather sizable adaptation from nearly two decades of working within the Mercedes family.
Hamilton has comfortably been second best to team-mate Charles Leclerc, especially over one lap; however, this shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Up against one of the greatest one-lap talents of this generation while competing in the twilight years of his career, it was unlikely that Hamilton would come out on top.
But since the summer break, Hamilton has made significant strides in his one-lap execution, especially compared to Leclerc, a step hidden by the continued podium drought.
And despite a rather tough race day in Mexico City, the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit saw a continued upward trend in terms of his qualifying performances.
Finally finding his feet?
Hamilton himself has been very vocal about his struggles since joining Ferrari and the “cultural differences” that he has had to overcome.
However, in recent races the Briton has been more positive and seems to be able to extract that little more performance from his SF-25 as well as from the team around him.
Having started the season well off the pace over one lap, despite some standout performances, Hamilton has slowly but surely closed the gap to Leclerc.
In fact, since Spain, Leclerc’s average qualifying advantage over Hamilton is only nine hundredths of a second. Since the summer break that shrinks to just three hundredths.
This step forward culminated in a first top-three start in a Grand Prix in Mexico City, maintaining a 19-year run of top-three starts for the seven-time World Champion.
While he has clearly made a step forward with his own performances, a crucial change in approach in recent weekends within the Scuderia has also been key.
Following a scathing review from Hamilton of Ferrari’s approach in Singapore, a change in processes since Austin is also said to have unlocked missing performance.
That being said, this upturn in pace will need to start delivering some silverware sooner rather than later as rumours begin to swirl around Hamilton’s future beyond 2026.
Ferrari hesitant over extension?
Hamilton has looked more like his older self in recent rounds, but there is no doubt that attention at Ferrari is being drawn to the future and life after this iconic partnership.
The Briton is already contracted for the 2026 season, but it is the option regarding an extension into 2027 which is where the rumoured hesitation is forming.
If Hamilton continues his upturn in form, and carries it across to F1’s new era in 2026, then perhaps Ferrari will be less hesitant in offering an extension into 2027.
However, if Hamilton fails to get along with the new generation of cars, Ferrari would more than likely look to call time with Oliver Bearman waiting in the wings.
Despite the rumours, Hamilton himself believes there is still plenty of time for the partnership to bare its fruits.
“Everyone expects to win straight away, but Rome wasn’t built in a day,” he told the Italian marque’s in-house ‘Ferrari Magazine’.
With everything surrounding Hamilton’s tumultuous maiden season with Ferrari, this rather unnoticed improvement may finally see an end to his race-day struggles.
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