It was the move that shook the world of motorsports. When Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion, announced he would be leaving his decade-long home at Mercedes to join Formula 1’s most iconic team, Ferrari, expectations were not just high; they were stratospheric. This was meant to be the final, crowning chapter of a legendary career—a global icon uniting with the Prancing Horse to chase that elusive eighth title.

Now, deep into his debut season, that dream appears to be in ruins.

The performances have not just failed to match the hype; they have been a profound disappointment. Hamilton, a driver synonymous with podiums and victories, has yet to stand on the rostrum in Ferrari red. Worse still, he has only managed to finish ahead of his highly-rated teammate, Charles Leclerc, a mere three times.

This isn’t just a slow start. It’s a full-blown crisis. Hamilton has tragically secured an unwanted record, becoming the Ferrari driver with the most race starts in the team’s illustrious 70-plus-year history without scoring a single podium finish.

This is not how he, or Ferrari, wanted this blockbuster marriage to begin. The Tifosi are restless, and the paddock is whispering. The team, which must prioritize “results instead of social media traction,” is facing the grim reality that its marquee signing is failing to deliver. The uncomfortable question is already being asked: Is Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari dream over before it even truly began?

Anatomy of a Failed Season

At first, the excuses were understandable, and readily given. Hamilton was adapting. After more than a decade in the Mercedes ecosystem, the shock of a new team, a new philosophy, and a new car was bound to take time. The Ferrari pit wall was even blamed for making his adjustment period more difficult. Then, there was a change in brake suppliers, a critical component for a driver like Hamilton, forcing him to unlearn years of finely-tuned muscle memory.

But as the races have unfolded, those excuses have worn thin. The seven-time champion hasn’t improved in the way many, including the team, had hoped. The optics of his failure are made exponentially worse by the performance of the other car. While Hamilton has struggled to crack the top five, his teammate has dragged the car to seven podium finishes.

This stark contrast paints a brutal picture. This level of performance is not what Ferrari had in mind when they signed the sport’s biggest superstar. While the announcement undeniably created a surge of incredible excitement, pushed Ferrari’s social media numbers to new heights, and sold countless pieces of merchandise, that’s not the primary business. Ferrari is a Formula 1 team. And at the end of the day, they need to win races.

The Ticking Clock and an Exit Strategy

Hamilton’s contract is for two seasons, guaranteeing his seat for the following year. However, the belief that this would be a long-term partnership is evaporating. Shocking reports are emerging from within the Maranello team suggesting that Ferrari has “absolutely no intention” of offering him another season beyond that.

Following a recent Grand Prix, ESPN confirmed this sentiment, reporting that several senior paddock figures believe the seven-time world champion will not be offered a new contract when his current one expires. To be discussing an exit this early—with significant time still left on the deal—feels premature, but it underscores the severity of his underperformance.

For his part, Hamilton had always been public that his focus was on the massive upcoming regulation change, not his debut season, as his true opportunity to fight for the championship. But this disastrous start has changed the narrative. Expectations for that subsequent season are now impossibly high from both sides. Hamilton will demand a better race car and a more coherent trackside operation. Ferrari, in turn, will demand a driver who actually performs to his superstar billing. It’s a combustible mix, and many fear the relationship could collapse entirely under the pressure.

Team Principal Fred Vasseur has tried to calm the waters, stating he isn’t surprised the new partnership needed time. He has blamed the poor results on Ferrari and Lewis simply being “out of sync.” “The field is mega mega tight,” Vasseur explained, noting that if “you leave something on the table, you’re losing positions.” He insists the clear target is for everyone to be in “full control” moving forward. But that second season is shaping up to be a pivotal, make-or-break judgment year for the entire partnership.

Ferrari’s Compounding Crisis: A Second Unhappy Driver

As if Hamilton’s struggles weren’t enough, Ferrari is simultaneously dealing with a second, deeply concerning driver problem. While Charles Leclerc has been performing well, he has looked “less and less happy” at the team that has supported his entire career.

A driver of Leclerc’s immense quality wants to be competing for the driver’s championship, not just podium scraps. The last time his team got close, Ferrari’s development fell apart, and Max Verstappen cruised to a comfortable title. Since then, it has been one disappointment after another. The season has been especially painful. After ending the prior season as one of the top teams, the car’s winter development failed, leaving Ferrari well off the pace.

Leclerc’s frustration is palpable. Unsurprisingly, the answers he gives in media sessions have strongly hinted that he will not be looking to extend his contract beyond its expiration. After seven seasons, he seems to have accepted the heartbreaking realization that Ferrari, his childhood dream, may not be the place to win championships.

This leaves Ferrari in a terrifying position: facing the very real possibility of losing both of its superstar drivers when their contracts expire.

A New Era: Who Replaces a Legend?

What should be a scary future for Ferrari, in fact, is already taking shape with some very obvious replacements. The first is a name Ferrari has cultivated itself: Ollie Bearman.

The young Brit, a Ferrari Driver Academy member for several years, has been making it impossible for the team to ignore him. Currently on loan to the Haas team, Bearman’s impressive fourth-place finish at a recent Grand Prix—his fourth points finish in just six races for Haas—has catapulted him into the conversation for a future Ferrari seat.

Sky Sports analyst Martin Brundle was unequivocal in his praise. “Absolutely outstanding,” Brundle said. “If you give that young man an opportunity, he’ll grab it… He kept his head under a lot of pressure… Just the moment that there’s a seat at Ferrari for whatever reason, then Bearman should be in it as far as I’m concerned.” Whether it’s Hamilton or Leclerc who leaves, Bearman is now clearly first in line.

But what if Ferrari loses both? In that case, the team will likely look to Mercedes once again.

The driver in question is George Russell. Mercedes announced its future lineup: Russell and the young prodigy Andrea Kimi Antonelli. This move finally ended months of speculation that Mercedes was trying to poach Max Verstappen from Red Bull. In fact, Russell himself revealed that negotiations between Verstappen and Mercedes had been ongoing, which was responsible for delaying his own contract resolution.

When Russell did finally get his new deal, it was a bombshell: a short-term contract, with only a performance-based extension. The contract “makes it clear to George that he isn’t Toto Wolff’s first choice” for the future. By clearly keeping the door open for Verstappen, Mercedes has also left Russell open to other offers.

And Ferrari is reportedly interested. The respected Italian paper Corriere della Sera said that Russell is “highly regarded” by the top brass at Ferrari, having established himself as one of the grid’s best drivers.

It would be a story of lovely, if painful, continuity: Russell, who replaced Hamilton at Mercedes, could follow him to Ferrari to replace the seven-time world champion once again. A future Ferrari lineup of the young rookie Ollie Bearman and the proven, spurned George Russell suddenly looks not just possible, but plausible.

For Hamilton, the future is bleak. The grandest move of his career has soured in a remarkably short time. The dream of a red-suited championship send-off has dissolved into a nightmare of unwanted records and intra-team rumors of his impending exit. The Prancing Horse, it seems, is already looking past its faded star.