Hamilton’s Ferrari Gamble: When Will It Pay Off?

Hamilton and Ferrari: A Comeback is Inevitable

18/03/2025

After a tough start in Australia, Hamilton and Ferrari face challenges, but experts predict they will soon reclaim their place at the top.

Former Ferrari driver René Arnoux is convinced that Lewis Hamilton and the Scuderia will bounce back after a challenging start to the 2025 season in Australia.

Despite all the preseason hype surrounding his move to Ferrari, the seven-time world champion was outperformed by teammate Charles Leclerc throughout the weekend. Yet, both struggled to secure only a handful of points—far from Ferrari’s ambitions.

Arnoux, 76, also noticed the tension between Hamilton and his new race engineer, Riccardo Adami.

“He has lost some enthusiasm, and I understand. It’s never easy to join a new team and face difficulties right from the first race, especially when McLaren took off like a rocket.”

A Difficult Ferrari, A Risky Bet

Ferrari took a bold step in 2025 with a radical suspension redesign and an overhauled technical concept. However, the team failed to find the right setup in Australia.

“Hamilton and Leclerc were stuck with a car that was extremely difficult to drive. Every time they hit the throttle, it seemed like they were on the edge of losing control.”

It’s frustrating but not alarming. Arnoux believes the competition is tighter than ever and that Ferrari will eventually close the gap.

“We now have three or four teams capable of fighting at the front. Ferrari won’t stay behind for long. The question isn’t ‘if’ but ‘when’ they will be back at the top.”

Hamilton: Still a Title Contender?

Despite the disappointing start, Arnoux refuses to count Hamilton out of the championship fight.

“His frustration is understandable, but adapting to a new team takes time. There are no private tests anymore, apart from two or three days a year. So he arrived in Melbourne without really knowing the car and had to discover it in very tricky conditions.”

Patience will be key. According to Arnoux, it will take four or five races to assess Ferrari’s true potential this season.

“What I did see was an incredibly fast McLaren, which will be hard to beat. But Hamilton is still Hamilton. He’s not done yet.”

Hamilton & Ferrari: Struggles Now, Comeback Inevitable. Former Ferrari driver René Arnoux is convinced that Lewis Hamilton and the Scuderia will bounce back

Hamilton & Ferrari: Struggles Now, Comeback Inevitable Hamilton & Ferrari: Struggles Now, Comeback Inevitable

Race Center
China Flag
Chinese GP
21 Mar 2025 - 23 Mar 2025
Free Practice 1
21 MAR 03:30 - 04:30
Sprint Qual
21 MAR 07:30 - 08:14
Sprint Race
22 MAR 03:00 - 04:00
Qualifying
22 MAR 07:00 - 08:00
Race
23 MAR 07:00 - 09:00

2025 F1 Australian Grand Prix - Race Results

Lando Norris
1
LANDO
NORRIS
57
Max Verstappen
2
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
+0.895s
George Russell
3
GEORGE
RUSSELL
+8.481s
Alex Albon
4
ALEX
ALBON
+12.773s
Kimi Antonelli
5
KIMI
ANTONELLI
+15.135s
Lance Stroll
6
LANCE
STROLL
+17.413s
Nico Hulkenberg
7
NICO
HULKENBERG
+18.423s
Charles Leclerc
8
CHARLES
LECLERC
+19.826s
Oscar Piastri
9
OSCAR
PIASTRI
+20.448s
Lewis Hamilton
10
LEWIS
HAMILTON
+22.473s
Pierre Gasly
11
PIERRE
GASLY
+26.502s
Yuki Tsunoda
12
YUKI
TSUNODA
+29.884s
Esteban Ocon
13
ESTEBAN
OCON
+33.161s
Oliver Bearman
14
OLIVER
BEARMAN
+40.351s
Liam Lawson
15
LIAM
LAWSON
47 DNF
Gabriel Bortoleto
16
GABRIEL
BORTOLETO
47 DNF
Fernando Alonso
17
FERNANDO
ALONSO
34 DNF
Carlos Sainz
18
CARLOS
SAINZ
0 DNF
Jack Doohan
19
JACK
DOOHAN
0 DNF
Isack Hadjar
20
ISACK
HADJAR
0 DNF
F1 CALENDAR 2025
Race
Date
Chinese Flag
Chinese
Shanghai International
23 Mar
Japanese Flag
Japanese
Suzuka Circuit
6 Apr
Bahrain Flag
Bahrain
Sakhir desert
13 Apr
Saudi Arabia Flag
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street
20 Apr
United States Flag
United States
Miami
04 May

2025 FORMULA 1 DRIVERS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Lando Norris
1
LANDO
NORRIS
25 Points
Max Verstappen
2
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
18
George Russell
3
GEORGE
RUSSELL
15
Alex Albon
4
ALEX
ALBON
12
Kimi Antonelli
5
KIMI
ANTONELLI
10
Lance Stroll
6
LANCE
STROLL
8
Nico Hulkenberg
7
NICO
HULKENBERG
6
Charles Leclerc
8
CHARLES
LECLERC
4
Oscar Piastri
9
OSCAR
PIASTRI
2
Lewis Hamilton
10
LEWIS
HAMILTON
1

2025 FORMULA 1 CONSTRUCTORS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

1
McLaren
27
2
Mercedes
25
3
Red Bull
18
4
Williams
12
5
Aston Martin
8
6
Sauber
6
7
Ferrari
5
8
Alpine F1
0
9
Haas F1
0
10
Racing Bulls
0
Go toTop

Don't Miss