Lewis Hamilton is used to creating large gaps from the drivers behind him during Grands Prix, but the 2025 Formula 1 season has seen him also sit significantly behind others at the same time.
The seven-time world champion has had mixed results with Ferrari since joining the team this season, ranging from a Sprint victory in China to failing to register a single podium finish in any Grand Prix, and even being disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix.
It's been a rollercoaster for the 40-year-old Brit, who has managed to register points in every race he has finished, bar the disqualification in China.
He has regularly been beaten by teammate Charles Leclerc as he continues to adjust to life at Maranello, having spent the previous 12 years in Brackley with Mercedes.
While many expected Leclerc to have the upper hand, one interesting development should probably have greater attention given to it in terms of Hamilton's unique performances in races.
Lewis Hamilton has a new home in No Man's Land
Hamilton has found himself, a number of times this year, sitting comfortably ahead of the midfield pack during races. He has finished in the top 10 in every single race, including before the China disqualification, and he has even been in the top six for the past five races.
However, Hamilton has also found himself lagging significantly behind those chasing the podium on multiple occasions, seeing him effectively racing on his own with plenty of clean air ahead and no real threat from behind.
In Austria, for example, he was 10 seconds behind Leclerc by the end of the race. Leclerc claimed P3 and Hamilton brought it home in P4.
It was an exceptionally comfortable P4 as well, as Hamilton finished an astonishing 33 seconds ahead of Mercedes' George Russell in P5, effectively half a lap ahead considering the Red Bull Ring's short distance.
In Canada two weeks prior, there was a point during the race where the leaders were catching up to the backmarkers at one end of the track, while Hamilton was entirely on his own at the opposite end.
No one was close to him from the front or the rear. The late safety car brought the pack closer together, so he finished P6, not too far (0.2 seconds) ahead of Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso.
The two former world champions did finish five seconds ahead of Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg, however. Hamilton also crossed the line a full seven seconds behind, once again, Leclerc.
The same situation took place in the Monaco Grand Prix a couple of races earlier. Hamilton comfortably finished P5, 20 seconds ahead of Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar in P6, but once again was an astonishing 31 seconds behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen.
It's an unusual situation to see someone of Hamilton's caliber so far ahead of the majority of the pack, yet lagging so far behind the real leaders of the races, including his own Ferrari teammate.
Ferrari needs to look at what is leading to performances such as these and work to address them to give Hamilton a chance at competing at the front once again. Otherwise, the rest of the 2025 season may feel like a stroll, with no real achievement for the legend.