The seven-time Formula 1 world champion faced several struggles in 2025 when he switched to Ferrari after spending over a decade with Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton received plenty of backlash throughout the season, as he did not record a single podium finish while teammate Charles Leclerc consistently outperformed him.
Not only did the British driver struggle to adjust, but there were also many other factors that were affecting his performance. One of the most prominent ones was his race engineer, Riccardo Adami, who constantly had moments of miscommunication with Hamilton.
F1 teams typically begin preparing their cars for the following season about nine months ahead of pre-season testing. Hamilton put in lots of time and effort providing Ferrari’s engineers with documents and designs to make sure the Scuderia are competitive in this new era of regulations.
Do the problems go beyond the race track?
Thus far in 2026, the 41-year-old driver has been very good and achieved two podium finishes, his first since the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Hamilton’s recent podium in Canada saw him make a surprising admission that may have contributed to his success: he ditched his pre-race simulator work, leading to his best result to date as a Ferrari driver.
For several seasons, we have seen in-race blunders from Ferrari involving simple errors from the pit crew and, most commonly, the pit wall. But after Hamilton made a change to his preparation before the most recent race, the suggestion that the problems go beyond the race track appears more valid.
Although it could be a coincidence that not using the simulator preceded Hamilton’s P2 finish in Montreal, it fits within the general workings of Ferrari over the past several seasons. Things just never appear to be perfect for the Maranello-based team.
Beyond the simulator, it makes one wonder what else behind the scenes may be playing a role in the performance of Hamilton and Leclerc, which could speak to why Ferrari have been lacking in particular areas, contributing to several notable inconsistencies over the years.
Add us as a preferred source on Google