Lewis Hamilton is still waiting for his first Sunday podium with Ferrari after a tough weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion made a rare error in Sprint qualifying, spinning off at the final chicane and exiting SQ1 in 18th. It set him up for a difficult Saturday, and things didn’t get much easier from there.
Martin Brundle was surprised by the spin, noting how Hamilton locked the rear going into the corner. He finished P15 in the Sprint, and qualifying for the main race wasn’t much better.
He put in a lap good enough for Q2, but lost it due to track limits at Raidillon, which dropped him to 16th on the grid. Starting from the pit lane, Hamilton managed to fight back up to P7 with some sharp strategy calls but still finished behind teammate Charles Leclerc.
Leclerc started third behind both McLarens and held off Max Verstappen to secure his fifth podium of 2025. Damon Hill pointed out that Hamilton still has something to prove at Ferrari after another race where the Monegasque driver came out ahead.
Lewis Hamilton took time to adjust to Ferrari upgrade while Charles Leclerc hits the ground running
It was a big weekend for the Maranello outfit, who rolled out their rear suspension upgrade at Spa. The Italian press had been building it up as the change that could help close the gap to the front of the grid.
But even with the new parts, issues remained. Leclerc expressed concerns about needing ‘extreme’ setups for his SF-25, while Hamilton faced even more significant challenges.
| RANK | DRIVER | TEAM | POINTS |
| 1 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 25 |
| 2 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 18 |
| 3 | Charles Lelcerc | Ferrari | 15 |
| 4 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 12 |
| 5 | George Russell | Mercedes | 10 |
| 6 | Alex Albon | Williams | 8 |
| 7 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 6 |
| 8 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 4 |
| 9 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | 2 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1 |
During team debriefs, Hamilton spoke about rear instability, and his Sprint qualifying session highlighted those struggles as he locked up and ended up 18th. Auto Motor und Sport has reported that it took him two days to get comfortable with the new suspension setup.
Leclerc, on the other hand, adapted right away and delivered another strong performance to secure a podium finish. While Ferrari may eventually see gains from this update, Hamilton still has ground to make up.
Lewis Hamilton pushes for more changes at Ferrari as podium wait continues
The Brit came into Belgium looking for improvements both in the car and within how Ferrari operate. He sent over several documents outlining a range of changes he wanted implemented.
Leclerc couldn’t help but smile when asked about it. For drivers, giving feedback is part of the job. While Ferrari will value what Hamilton brings given his pedigree, his timing wasn’t ideal given how things unfolded at Spa.
Some around F1 believe it’s not just Ferrari who need sharpening up.. Hamilton himself didn’t look fully dialled in either after what we saw in Belgium. Leclerc showed that their package is capable of reaching the podium, while Hamilton hasn’t managed that yet.
He is still struggling mentally to connect with the SF-25, which likely explains why he keeps pushing for changes behind closed doors. But with Ferrari already making adjustments based on his input, there comes a point where he’ll need to adapt as well.
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