Hamilton Calls 2025 His Worst F1 Season as Las Vegas Results Highlight Ferrari Struggles

Lewis Hamilton’s first season with Ferrari continued its bruising trajectory at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, where he described 2025 as the most difficult campaign of his Formula 1 career. The seven-time world champion began the weekend with his first career last-place qualifying result on merit, adding to a growing list of setbacks since joining the Italian team.

Hamilton finished 10th on track before being elevated to eighth after McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were disqualified. Even with the extra points, Hamilton expressed little satisfaction with the outcome, pointing to another weekend in which Ferrari struggled to extract pace and contend with the front runners.

The result reflects a year that has produced few highlights for Hamilton. He currently sits sixth in the standings and is on course for his third winless season in four years, a stark contrast to the run of 15 straight seasons with at least one victory early in his career. He started 2025 with a promising sprint performance in China, taking pole and the sprint win, but has not stood on a grand prix podium since.

Ferrari entered the season with high expectations after Hamilton’s much-anticipated arrival, but the team has slipped to fourth in the constructors’ championship. Hamilton trails teammate Charles Leclerc by a substantial margin and has struggled with consistency, calling his first year in red a “nightmare” during a stretch of poor results that included a retirement in Brazil and a series of low-qualifying performances.

His difficult run has also included candid self-assessments, including frustration after the Hungarian Grand Prix and remarks suggesting Ferrari should consider a different direction. Team leadership has urged him to refocus amid the mounting pressure.

Hamilton’s contract is expected to run through at least 2026, though he has hinted at a longer-term agreement. For now, he anticipates more challenging weekends as the season winds down, acknowledging that the team’s form—and his own—has left little room for optimism heading into the final rounds.

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