Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has begun to express concern over Lewis Hamilton's struggles, marking the first signs of criticism from within the iconic team.
The seven-time world champion's high-profile switch from Mercedes to Ferrari dominated pre-season headlines, but five races into 2025, the 40-year-old is visibly and obviously struggling.
Hamilton's spirits were particularly low in Saudi Arabia. When asked if he felt comfortable in the car at Jeddah, he replied, "No, not for a second. I mean, the car is clearly capable of finishing third as Charles (Leclerc) is on the podium, so I can't even say it's the car."
He continued, "Obviously I'm not happy with my results, and I know the fans aren't happy. I'm sure the team isn't happy either, and I know the bosses aren't happy."
When pressed on whether he has ideas about how to improve, Hamilton admitted, "No. There's really nothing to take away from these three weeks except that I'm slow. I mean, there's a lot in the data obviously, but to be honest, the difference with Charles in the data doesn't seem significant. It's just ... I'm slower in the corners."
Hamilton did note some differences in his setup compared to Leclerc's, stating, "We have a slightly different setup, so I need to see if the car likes that setup better. Obviously Charles and his side are just doing a better job. I have a week of work coming up, not a week off. After today, I'll have to cancel some things."
The Briton offered a bleak outlook going forward, saying, "I think I'll suffer in Miami too. I don't know how long I'll struggle, but it's definitely painful. There's no solution at the moment."
Speaking to Sky Italia, he added, "So ... that's how it's going to be for the rest of the year. It's going to be painful," even joking despondently about needing a "brain transplant."
Vasseur has previously defended Hamilton's need for an adjustment period, but cracks in his patience surfaced in Jeddah.
Praising Leclerc's first podium of 2025, Vasseur remarked of Hamilton, "It was more difficult for him—30 seconds behind Charles. He had a decent second stint, but he struggled at the end. He's having too many ups and downs—he has them and the team has them."
Speaking to Sky Deutschland a little later, Vasseur elaborated, "I haven't discussed it with him, but it's a bit up and down. He wasn't always that far off the pace, but I'll have to discuss it with Lewis first."
On the root of Hamilton's issues, he said, "It's the confidence in the car and also the confidence in himself, as everything is new here."
However, former senior Ferrari engineer Toni Cuquerella disputed the notion that Hamilton is still adapting.
"I think it won't take too much longer for him to adapt," he told DAZN. "Because he's already adapted. This is the Hamilton we have in F1 now—the same one who left Mercedes with (George) Russell ahead of him."
