Lewis Hamilton believes McLaren’s current F1 pace is strong but not unbeatable, as Ferrari eyes critical gains in 2025 development.
Lewis Hamilton stated that McLaren’s current speed advantage is “not insurmountable,” though he insists it’s unlikely Ferrari will manage to close the gap.
The British driver joined the Scuderia this winter, hoping to compete at the front against the team where he began his career and which set the benchmark at the end of 2024.
Last season, Ferrari came close to ending its title drought, which has lasted since the Constructors’ Championship win in 2008—the same year the now-forty-something clinched his first Drivers’ Championship with McLaren.
Finishing just 14 points behind the Woking-based team in the final showdown in Abu Dhabi, Ferrari entered 2025 with high expectations. However, the SF-25 has fallen short, and it doesn’t appear capable of contending for the title this season.
Frédéric Vasseur has nonetheless promised further upgrades, something that pleases Hamilton, even if he doesn’t expect a turnaround.
“McLaren is doing an incredible job in F1 right now. To me, it’s half a second, but they probably have a three-tenth lead over the teams behind. A bit more than three tenths, I think.”
“It’s not an insurmountable gap. But, for example, a lot of work has been done… months have gone into development and that sometimes results in a tenth of a second in performance, rarely more.”
“So I don’t know if we have… we don’t have half a second in reserve, for sure, which is what it takes to get ahead of them. But never say never.”