Formula 1: Ferrari already worried about Lewis Hamilton's form?

Everyone remembers where they were when it was announced that Lewis Hamilton would join forces with Ferrari for the 2025 Formula 1 season last February. The statistical greatest driver of all-time finally uniting with the most successful and most storied team in all of motorsport is not something that happens on the regular, and it had a huge impact on the global stage.

While it was always something that many thought would eventually happen, reports of "potential talks between Hamilton and Ferrari" always did the rounds, year after year, and nothing ever came of them. Hamilton had always stated that he not only wasn't interested in joining Ferrari, but more so, that he wasn't keen on leaving Mercedes.

He even signed a contract in 2023 that presumably kept him at Mercedes until the end of 2025.

Given Mercedes' struggles in the ground effect era, plus Ferrari's rise back to prominence and constant improvement during that same timeframe, that contract was nothing but a piece of paper in the leadup to creating arguably the best driver pairing of all-time with Charles Leclerc.

But there are doubts about this partnership being the fairytale many initially thought it would be, even before Hamilton has turned a lap in the car.

On face value, one could suggest Hamilton's farewell season with Mercedes was a successful one. The seven-time world champion did manage to win two races in 2024, two more than his combined total from both 2022 and 2023. His British Grand Prix win was one of the top feel-good stories from the last few years, and it was arguably one of his best drives for Mercedes, period.

But beneath the surface of the highs were many lows, especially toward the end of the season.

Hamilton finished a lowly seventh place in the standings, the lowest of his career, while his teammate George Russell finished 22 points ahead of him in sixth, despite the fact that he was disqualified from the victory in Belgium – handing the win to Hamilton, no less – and the fact that he was forced to retire from a sure podium finish at Silverstone.

Russell also became the first of any of Hamilton's teammates to beat him in the championship more than once during their partnership, having also beat him in 2022. On top of that, Russell outqualified Hamilton 19-5 in 2024, and it was 24-6 including Sprints.

Hamilton ended the year with three Q1 exits in six races, the same total from his previous 270 Grands Prix. For the all-time pole position record-holder to be beaten that convincingly, it certainly raises red flags.

He also had several shocking race performances, such as a mistake-riddled race in a wet Sao Paulo Grand Prix. He finished in 10th place. Additionally, he finished in last in the United States Grand after a spin into the gravel on lap two. He also finished in ninth in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, behind the Williams of Franco Colapinto, on merit, in just his second career start.

Across the board, we've seen many uncharacteristic things from Hamilton in recent times.

Hamilton's 2024 season showed how susceptible he has become to lack of self-confidence and driving a car he doesn't like.

Many fans blamed his struggles on the team knowing he was leaving right from the get-go and shifting their focus fully toward Russell, either by keeping Hamilton out of meetings or not giving him the proper upgrades. Others, including Mercedes themselves, have suggested that Hamilton simply doesn't gel with this new era of cars.

But the number of instances in which Hamilton had a huge snap of oversteer or a big lock-up under braking during key moments was very eye-opening. Time after time, he was making errors or just plain struggling to hold the car down, while Russell looked the polar opposite.

The most worrying thing of all, however, is how up and down his confidence was. In the middle part of the year from Silverstone to Spa, Hamilton looked and sounded as confident as ever, scoring two wins and several podium finishes in a car that he was happy with.

But just two races later at Monza, Hamilton qualified sixth and was beating himself up non-stop the rest of the day regarding how he "can't figure it out" in qualifying and that the "team deserves better with Kimi (Antonelli)."

Following his abysmal weekend in Brazil, he even mentioned that he pondered quitting for the season and just starting fresh in 2025. And in Qatar, he claimed that he's just "not fast anymore" after qualifying for the sprint race.

What have seemingly gone unnoticed are the mental links that run between Hamilton performing at the top of his game when he is at the front and performing at a somewhat mediocre level when his chances are slim. While it might not always be the case, it's almost as if he just loses motivation and his killer instinct when there's less on the line.

These are all extremely concerning things for someone of his stature heading to a team that have a completely different car philosophy and an extremely pressuring environment even when things are going well, both things with which Hamilton has no experience.

With all of that in mind, Ferrari should be very concerned about what they're getting with Hamilton entering 2025.

All of these "weaknesses" of Hamilton's could eat him alive in Maranello, should he let them persist. He and Ferrari must find a way to get him into his place once the cars hit the track for race number one in Australia, or this partnership could quickly become a disaster.

But despite all the worrying signs, Ferrari are not at all flustered about Hamilton's form heading into his debut season with the team.

And really, why should they be? This is Lewis freakin' Hamilton we're talking about here.

As the third most experienced driver of all-time, if anybody can figure out a way to throw out the past, work out his weaknesses, and adapt, it's Hamilton. There were still some strong positives to take from his 2024 season, most notably his race pace. His pace was very solid, often matching or even beating Russell. This was especially prevalent when he qualified well.

His win in extremely difficult conditions at Silverstone, plus his late-season charges from P10 to P2 in Las Vegas and P16 to P4 in Abu Dhabi, showed every skill and quality that Hamilton still possesses, especially when he feels comfortable with the car and has something to chase.

Ferrari will be banking on getting that version of Lewis Hamilton, the one with unmatched skill, winning experience, calmness, and pure drive, and the one who is extremely motivated with a fresh start and ready to push flat out to cap off his legacy by becoming the first and only eight-time world champion in Formula 1 history.