Lewis Hamilton ‘defeated’ as Danica Patrick makes blunt Ferrari observation
Lewis Hamilton is 'defeated'
The Ferrari teammates “seem defeated” in Austin, Lewis Hamilton “especially” given he joined Ferrari with the dream of winning grands prix and fighting for World titles.
That’s the opinion of Sky F1 guest pundit Danica Patrick after both Hamilton and Charles Leclerc delivered despondent verdicts after finishing Sprint qualifying for the United States Grand Prix down in eighth and tenth places respectively.
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc: ‘Total frustration’
⦁ Lewis Hamilton has a ‘mountain to climb’
⦁ Charles Leclerc rues Ferrari being ‘so far behind’ despite ‘clean’ lap
⦁ Ferrari teammates banking on F1 2026 regulatory reset
Despite racing on a circuit where Hamilton has won five times and Leclerc is the defending grand prix champion, Ferrari suffered a trying Friday at the Circuit of the Americas.
The teammates finished Sprint qualifying eighth and tenth where they were almost a second down on pole-sitter Max Verstappen.
But perhaps more worryingly, they were four-tenths down on the Ferrari-powered Sauber of Nico Hulkenberg.
Neither driver was able to find a silver lining, or even a way forward, when they spoke with the media after Sprint quali.
Asked if he had any idea where the pace went, Hamilton responded: “No, I really don’t.
“It just started to fall away from us. The car is very, very tough to drive. It just fell away from us.
“I mean, eight-tenths, that’s a mountain to climb.”
“Mountain to climb”
Lewis Hamilton was left deflated after finishing P8 in Sprint qualifying in Austin.#F1https://t.co/COZmJR0w0h
— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) October 18, 2025
Leclerc’s verdict wasn’t any more encouraging. “Honestly,” he said, “my lap was clean in SQ3. I don’t regret much what I’ve done in my lap.
“I don’t know, but it’s not enough. I mean, we are so far behind now.”
The Monegasque driver isn’t expecting Ferrari to suddenly find something ahead of Saturday’s Sprint and qualifying for the grand prix.
“I’ll be very surprised if we found something that will make us [do] such a jump,” he rued. “But I hope I’m wrong. Unfortunately for now, it just seems like it’s the potential of our car.”
It was a blow for Ferrari and the drivers, one that has former IndyCar winner Patrick declaring Hamilton and Leclerc both just want this season over.
It has, though, she reckons, been a more brutal knock for Hamilton as he joined Ferrari with the dream of winning. Instead, Hamilton has yet to feature on the podium while his former Mercedes teammate George Russell has two grands prix wins on the board.
“I was going to say this before qualifying started,” Patrick said, “when we asked if they had a chance, because Charles obviously had to change the gearbox and didn’t finish the session, and I kind of said they have a chance, but what I really was thinking is they both seem defeated.
“You can tell that in both of their interviews. It’s total frustration and almost like, ‘Argh, let’s just get this year over with’.
“Lewis especially, when you have a change like he had to go from Mercedes to a team where you think you’re going to go better, a lot of times that change can spark something. It’s just been such a disappointment.
“I’m sure that they’re going to really welcome the off-season this year. They’re going to have to go back to the drawing board and try something completely new.”
Her colleague Jenson Button reckons never mind Ferrari’s pace, or lack thereof, the biggest concern is that both Ferrari drivers were shocked by it as the team doesn’t know why they are struggling.
“I think the biggest issue is that they’re just shocked by it,” said the 2009 F1 World Champion. “You can see both drivers. It’s not like they knew this was coming.
“In practice they were quick, and it’s fallen away from them.
“It’s trying to understand why the pace isn’t there. It’s not like they can go well, ‘we know because we don’t have enough points of downforce’. They don’t know why they’ve lost that pace and that’s what’s the most frustrating thing for it, from a driver’s point of view.”
Ferrari’s position in F1 2025’s winners and losers
👉 The results of the F1 2025 championship
👉 The updated Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship standings
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc: What’s next for Ferrari?
Updates? No.
Upgrades? No.
Attention on F1 2025? Definitely no.
Ferrari has switched its focus to F1 2026 when the sport will undergo its biggest regulatory change ever. Next year’s grid will not only feature all-new cars – smaller, lighter, and with active aerodynamics – but there will also be new engines.
It means this season there is very little chance, barring a miracle, of either Hamilton or Leclerc winning a grand prix. There’s even very little chance of Hamilton bagging his first podium in red.
Next year, though. That’s the mantra of Ferrari fans. Next year.
But next year is a genuine opportunity for Ferrari to fight for the World title, its first since Kimi Raikkonen’s 2007 title, or a Constructors’ Championship, which would be the first since 2008.
The team is completely focused on next season and its all-new regulations with Ferrari having the added boost of being one of only five teams that designs both the engine and the chassis. Ferrari/Ferrari. Mercedes/Mercedes. Red Bull/Red Bull Ford. Aston Martin/Honda. Audi/Audi.
But only a boost if Ferrari nail both the engine and chassis regulation changes.
For now, and the five race weekends after Austin, Hamilton and Leclerc need to accept that it is what it is, and that 2026 is the goal. Negative, despondent, woe-if-me comments aren’t helping Ferrari or inspiring those back at Maranello.
This season hasn’t played out as Ferrari had expected or as the drivers had dreamt of. But there’s next year…
There’s always next year.
Read next: F1 starting grid: What is the grid order for the 2025 US Grand Prix Sprint?
