Lewis Hamilton must be cautious to ensure that Ferrari avoid repeating the mistakes that plagued Mercedes during his final seasons with them.
If he were to stay in sixth by season’s end, it would mark the third time in four years he has missed out on a top-five finish.
Until 2022, Hamilton had only finished as low as fifth once before, back in his McLaren days. But the ground effect era has not favoured him at all.
Hamilton’s period with Mercedes was dominant. He captured six of seven championships over one stretch, with Nico Rosberg being the only driver to break that run in 2016.
That rivalry with Rosberg may have been intense, but it did show off how sharp and adaptable Hamilton can be. Still, reliability issues eventually caught up with him and ended his championship run.
The last few seasons at Mercedes did not go as planned for Hamilton, and so far, his first year at Ferrari is not looking much different.
To avoid the same pitfalls as Mercedes, team principal Fred Vasseur must seriously consider a request from the 40-year-old whom he has been working closely with.
Why Ferrari should back Lewis Hamilton’s push to prioritise 2026 over the current campaign
According to a report from Formula Uno Analisi Tecnica, Ferrari’s approach for the remainder of 2025 might need some rethinking.
It has been a tough year for Scuderia, with little sign of things turning around soon.
While a second-place finish in the constructors’ standings is still possible, it is not much of a consolation.
Last year, Ferrari took the battle with McLaren down to the final race. This time around, Andrea Stella’s team could wrap up the title as early as the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Engineers have been frustrated by a rear suspension update that has not delivered what they were hoping for.
Beyond that, a set of documents reportedly handed over by Hamilton highlighted areas where he believes change is needed if they are going to challenge for titles again.
While teams like Williams, Aston Martin and Alpine have been focused on preparing for F1’s regulation changes in 2026 all season long, Ferrari has continued development on this year’s SF-25. That could leave them playing catch-up yet again when new rules take effect.
The report also pointed out that Hamilton has long urged Ferrari to shift focus toward their 2026 car – advice that seems increasingly relevant given how this season has unfolded.
Any late-season wins are unlikely to change much in the bigger picture. It may be time for Fred Vasseur to listen and fully commit resources to next year instead of chasing short-term gains now.
If not, they risk repeating Mercedes’ mistake from earlier in Hamilton’s career, when his warnings went unheeded about abandoning an ineffective design path while other opportunities passed by.
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Lewis Hamilton opened up about his Mercedes zero pod concerns on Drive to Survive
Speaking during season six of Drive to Survive, Hamilton spoke about his frustration over Mercedes ignoring his input.
“I remember complaining to the team and being like, ‘Look, we have to make these changes, otherwise this is the trajectory we’re going to go on and this is where we’re going to end up.
“Please, please do something about it. I remember they said, ‘We know what we’re doing, you’re wrong.’
“And that was definitely an interesting moment. I was like, ‘OK, I’ll step back, don’t want to step on anybody’s toes.’
“Then when we got into the season, then we spoke again [they said] ‘oh, maybe you were right’.”
Hamilton has not held back with his views on Ferrari’s 2025 car either and will be working hard behind the scenes to make sure the Scuderia avoid the same mistakes he saw at Mercedes.
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