Why Lewis Hamilton had his ‘worst ever’ season in F1

The seven-time world champion had hinted at finishing his F1 career with the German team. The team went to bat for him after he was denied an eighth title in 2021 in somewhat controversial fashion.

Then something shifted. In 2022, the FIA introduced new regulations to the sport, incorporating ground effects. The ground effects principles made a comeback, reintroduced with new regulations, focusing on underfloor tunnels for better, more predictable downforce.

Hamilton struggled with the new aerodynamic changes to the car and finished sixth that season.

His best finish during the ground-effect car era was third place in the driver’s championship in 2023, but he then slumped back to seventh in 2024. The disappointment of those three seasons led Hamilton to be open to a move away from Brackley.

The 40-year-old’s dream move to Maranello was announced in 2024. The goal was to return to fight for the 2025 championship in a competitive Ferrari package.

However, taking stock at the end of 2025, the sport’s most successful driver, with 105 wins, failed to stand on the podium for the first time in his career.

Hamilton’s season was plagued by several issues, and the Briton admitted to Sky Sports after qualifying last in Las Vegas that: “It’s been the worst season ever.”

One of the issues pointed out by The Race was that Hamilton’s driving style, which involves aggressively loading the front tyres, doesn’t suit the ground-effect F1 cars.

Hamilton has struggled to assimilate into Ferrari’s team culture. The obvious challenges associated with joining a new team include the language barrier. Hamilton reportedly started taking Italian lessons to better create a bridge between himself and the team. It couldn’t have been easy after the Briton spent 12 seasons with Mercedes. Hamilton struggled to find a clear line of communication with his Ferrari race engineer Riccardo Adami. 

The transition has not been easy for the seven-time world champion, and if the pair is set to work together in 2026, their professional relationship requires improvement.

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur weighed in on his star driver’s performance in 2025. “I think it was difficult for Lewis, and it’s too small a word probably, but it was difficult because after 20 years — I say 20 years because for me McLaren was McLaren-Mercedes and then Mercedes — he spent 20 years with Mercedes, it was a huge change,” Vasseur said.

Ferrari’s 2025 car, the SF-25, hasn’t had the pace to keep up with McLaren or Red Bull and challenge for victories. However, Hamilton has witnessed teammate Charles Leclerc score seven podium finishes and has been outscored in qualifying performances 19 times to five.

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The 40-year-old has his work cut out ahead of next season and will take stock of a disappointing 2025. Vasseur has called on the team and Hamilton to do a better job in 2026. Next season will see a new set of regulations implemented, and that could signal a fresh start for the sport’s most successful driver to show the world he still has what it takes.