Lewis Hamilton has defended his slow start to life at Ferrari amid speculation around his future. The 40-year-old moved to the team from Mercedes ahead of the start of the 2025 season.
Hamilton is sixth in the Drivers’ Standings after 20 races this season, collecting 146 points in the process. Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc is 64 points ahead in fifth, while Mercedes driver George Russell (258), Red Bull’s Max Verstappen (321), and McLaren duo Oscar Piastri (356) and Lando Norris (357) sit inside the top four.
With Hamilton struggling for form, reports earlier this week claimed that the seven-time world champion is unlikely to be offered a new contract when his current Ferrari deal expires. The multi-year contract that Hamilton – who hasn’t even finished on the podium for his new team – signed to join Ferrari in early 2024 is expected to run until the end of next season.
However, it was claimed earlier this year that Hamilton’s contract could contain a personal option to extend his deal until the end of 2027, if he wishes, giving Ferrari little say on the matter. Speaking to in-house publication Ferrari Magazine, Hamilton has issued a staunch defence on his difficult start at the Italian team.
Asked if he expected his move to Ferrari to prove so big, Hamilton admitted there is room for improvement in the future. He said: “I knew that aligning our brands would be big.
“But it still hits you and you’re like: ‘This is even more powerful than I imagined.’ It’s beautiful and there have been plenty of positives, although a lot of responsibility and weight comes with it.
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“Everyone expects to win straight away, but Rome wasn’t built in a day. How long did it take? We’ll have to look that up.”
Quizzed about F1 fans knowing that it takes time to settle and win, Hamilton replied: “Only when you’re inside a team can you really, truly understand how it works and how F1 works. You can’t imagine how the machine really operates otherwise.
“I’ve been in F1 for so long, but when I came to this team it really was different again. So I don’t blame people for not knowing. All I can do is continue to focus on the things that I can control. How I prepare and work with the team. How I show up each day and stay positive.”
While Hamilton might have the option to extend his deal to 2027, it was reported earlier this week that ‘several senior figures’ have indicated that the Stevenage-born racer will not be handed a contract extension by Ferrari at the end of his existing deal.
Hamilton’s comments, meanwhile, come after George Russell, his former Mercedes teammate, was linked with a potential switch to Ferrari in the future. A report in Italy has claimed that Russell is ‘highly regarded’ by Ferrari’s senior management.