‘Inappropriate’ Lewis Hamilton comments under scrutiny amid ‘tragedy’ at Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton has had a muted start to his Ferrari career
Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari career is developing into “a bit of a tragedy” after another disappointing weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix.
That is the claim of Ralf Schumacher, the former F1 driver, who says Hamilton does not help himself by making “inappropriate comments.”
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Ferrari arrived at the Belgian Grand Prix with fresh optimism following the arrival of a highly anticipated rear-suspension upgrade, regarded as key to the team’s hopes of salvaging something from the F1 2025 campaign.
Yet while Charles Leclerc impressed by claiming third place behind the dominant McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, Hamilton suffered two Q1 exits in the space of 24 hours at Spa.
Hamilton suffered a spin under braking at the Bus Stop chicane on his final lap of SQ1, leaving him 18th on the grid for Saturday’s sprint race.
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The 40-year-old pointed to a mysterious “new component” on his car – understood by PlanetF1.com to be an upgraded set of Brembo braking materials, designed to improve the drivers’ feel during braking episodes – as the reason behind his spin.
Hamilton then had his final Q1 lap deleted for a track limits breach on Saturday, putting him 16th before he opted to start the main race from the pit lane, recovering to seventh in a rain-affected grand prix.
The Ferrari driver’s struggles over one lap came after he admitted that the new rear suspension made no difference to the SF-25, telling media including PlanetF1.com that the car felt “the same as before” the upgrade.
He went on to outline his hope that Ferrari will work out how to optimise the new parts entering the second half of the season as the Scuderia aims to defend second place in the Constructors’ standings.
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Appearing on the Backstage Pitlane podcast, former Jordan, Williams and Toyota driver Schumacher claimed that Hamilton’s woes at Spa exposed his weakness with adapting to car changes.
And he pointed out that Hamilton’s “inappropriate comments” only add to the pressure when events do not go his way.
Schumacher said: “Lewis just finds it harder to cope with changes; he’s simply more sensitive in that regard.
“Perhaps this new rear axle at Ferrari also unintentionally suits Leclerc’s driving style better. We’ll have to wait and see in the next few races.
“It’s a bit of a tragedy and Hamilton sometimes makes inappropriate comments.
“Then to deliver a weekend like the one at Spa is, of course, unfortunate. But I would give him a little more time.”
More on Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari from PlanetF1.com
Speaking to media including PlanetF1.com in Belgium, Hamilton revealed that he has recently held a series of meetings with a number of key figures at Ferrari in a bid to turn his situation around.
He added that he has submitted two separate “documents” to the team to suggest changes to the team’s structure and improvements to the car for the rest of 2025 and beyond.
Ferrari has recently faced calls to listen to Hamilton’s guidance over the development of next year’s car, codenamed Project 678.
However, Schumacher feels the contrasting performances of Ferrari’s drivers at Spa will persuade the team to take Leclerc’s lead.
He added: “Compared to Hamilton, Leclerc had a perfect weekend with the new car.
“He managed it in all conditions, was strong, and that’s a nice trend for him and the team.
“But that doesn’t make things any easier for Lewis, because the team will listen to Charles even more now.”
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