Lewis Hamilton’s early struggles at Ferrari have drawn parallels with issues that Sebastian Vettel faced during his own time with the team, according to one of Vettel’s former engineers.
It took Ferrari until just before the Austrian Grand Prix, about four months into the season, to address what they saw as a major factor: Hamilton’s difficulty with rear stability, particularly in race trim.
But even after that adjustment, other problems persisted. Back at Mercedes, Hamilton had started using race weekends to experiment with different setups – a habit that often cost him valuable practice time.
He’s continued this approach at Ferrari, driven in part by the performance gap between himself and Charles Leclerc.
This tendency hasn’t gone unnoticed. An insider recently pointed out similarities between Hamilton’s approach and that of Sebastian Vettel during his stint with the team.
Sebastian Vettel struggled at Ferrari after trying to mirror Charles Leclerc’s set-ups
Journalist Roberto Chinchero reports that Leclerc has communicated his preference for the front-end balance of his Ferrari SF-25, frequently requesting increased front wing adjustments during practice sessions.
Speaking to Sky Sports IT on Race Anatomy, former Ferrari engineer Francesco Cigarini explained how Leclerc’s setups have influenced his teammates before, and how it has affected Hamilton since he joined the team in 2025.
“It is known that Leclerc, even when Vettel was there, prefers a very pointed car,” Cigarini said. “This means that he leaves the rear very free, having to control it with sensitivity.
“When Vettel wanted to copy those set-ups to achieve the same performance, he turned around and looked like a fool. I think the same thing is happening to Hamilton.”
He added: “I wouldn’t be surprised if they told me that Hamilton is talking, having a hot phone conversation with Vettel, looking for a conversation to get out of it.”
Ferrari could face commercial pressure if Hamilton’s form doesn’t improve
Ferrari saw immediate benefits, both on and off the track, when Lewis Hamilton’s move to the team was announced ahead of the 2024 season. The impact wasn’t just limited to racing – the company’s market value also saw a notable boost.
Hamilton’s global profile reportedly helped Ferrari secure around £41.8m in new sponsorship deals, with similar figures expected from merchandising and licensing agreements over the course of 2025.
But there are growing concerns that Hamilton’s current struggles on track could start to affect those commercial gains. If he were regularly fighting at the front, it probably wouldn’t be an issue, but results haven’t matched expectations so far.
Despite this, Ferrari still look set for back-to-back second-place finishes in the constructors’ championship, a position that brought in £99m in prize money at the end of 2024.
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