Lewis Hamilton’s Saudi Arabian Struggles Spotlight Ferrari Adaptation Woes as Leclerc Shines with First 2025 Podium
Lewis Hamilton endured one other underwhelming weekend on the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as teammate Charles Leclerc claimed Ferrari’s first Grand Prix podium of the season. Whereas Leclerc delivered a commanding efficiency to complete third, Hamilton may solely handle seventh place — the identical place he began — crossing the road an astonishing 30.969 seconds behind the Monegasque.
The distinction between the 2 Ferrari drivers was evident all through the race weekend in Jeddah. Leclerc’s robust P4 qualifying effort enabled him to implement an alternate technique to nice impact, overtaking Mercedes’ George Russell within the course of. Ferrari opted to pit Charles Leclerc for laborious tyres on Lap 38 of fifty, extending his medium-tyre stint, whereas George Russell had already stopped on Lap 20. The Briton made his tyre swap barely earlier, on Lap 23, however was already trailing the Monegasque driver by practically 14 seconds at that time.
Hamilton’s Tempo Hole to Leclerc Described as “Inexplicable”
Hamilton’s lack of tempo in comparison with Charles Leclerc was a recurring theme throughout all periods in Saudi Arabia. In qualifying, the seven-time world champion trailed his teammate by over half a second. Sky Sports activities pundit Bernie Collins noticed that Hamilton was unusually cautious throughout his Q3 lap, leaving vital area to the partitions — a key think about limiting lap time on Jeddah’s tight avenue circuit.
The Briton’s struggles have been obvious as early as FP3, when Ferrari engineers observed a regarding drop-off in his sector occasions. This downward development continued within the race, the place he progressively fell additional behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes, unable to mount any critical problem. Former F1 crew boss Gian Carlo Minardi even described Hamilton’s efficiency as “inexplicable,” noting that it fell in need of the excessive requirements anticipated of a seven-time world champion. In distinction, Leclerc’s constant tempo helped masks a few of the SF-25’s ongoing weaknesses.
Minardi remarked on his web site that Leclerc deserved reward not just for securing the rostrum but in addition for minimizing the publicity of Ferrari’s technical limitations — points that have been much more obvious in Hamilton’s race. He added that the Briton’s efficiency “didn’t align with what one would count on from a driver of his calibre.”
Hamilton Nonetheless Working to Adapt to Ferrari’s SF-25
Charles Leclerc’s consequence in Jeddah marked Ferrari’s first podium of the 2025 System 1 season and a transparent sign that the SF-25 has potential, albeit not with out its flaws. The 27-year-old had sufficient tempo to fend off Lando Norris, ending simply over a second forward of the McLaren on the chequered flag.
Hamilton, against this, continues to be attempting to unlock that very same efficiency window. Although he began the season on a excessive by successful the Shanghai Dash from pole place, he has but to copy that type in a full-length Grand Prix. His finest consequence up to now is P5 in Bahrain, and his common race end at the moment stands at 7.25 — or 7.0 in the event you embrace his P6 in China, later nullified by Ferrari’s double disqualification.
The transition from Mercedes to Ferrari has confirmed extra complicated than anticipated, and Hamilton has acknowledged the necessity for extra time to get comfy with the SF-25. In accordance with Martin Brundle, Ferrari internally recognises that the difference course of is ongoing.
Nonetheless, Lewis Hamilton is absolutely invested in enhancing his scenario. Over the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend, he stayed on the observe late into the evening on each Friday and Saturday, poring over information with engineers in an effort to know and resolve the efficiency hole to his Maranello teammate. His dedication is obvious — however up to now, the outcomes stay elusive.
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