Hamilton failed to claim a single grand prix podium in 2025, finishing down in sixth in the drivers’ championship as Ferrari suffered yet another winless season in the sport.
While Hamilton’s performances left a lot to be desired – the Brit finished 86 points behind team-mate Charles Leclerc – Ferrari’s SF-25 machinery was clearly very inconsistent and the team did not give either of their drivers a car that could seriously challenge for grand prix wins.
What’s more, Hamilton struggled to build up relationships with key members of the team, including race engineer Riccardo Adami who has been confirmed to be staying as Hamilton’s race engineer for 2026 after a ‘positive dinner’ between the pair.
Now Mazzola, a former race engineer from Michael Schumacher’s time at the team, has said that the struggles in 2025 were not all on seven-time world champion Hamilton.
“I don’t put all the blame on Hamilton,” he told NewsF1.it “I don’t put the whole situation, I don’t put it all on your side, Hamilton, you messed it all up. No, I put a good part of it, I’d say, on the team, because you cannot, in 24 races, still not have understood how this character drives, or at least not given him a car that is consistently satisfactory, right?
“What is all that stuff when he’s in the car? A driver isolates himself and goes in peace when he has a car he can’t drive. So this is what leaves me a bit perplexed, meaning that I don’t even blame the race engineer, who is under heavy scrutiny, because I don’t know how much freedom the race engineer has to decide what to do with the car.”
Hamilton’s 2026 hopes
Following his dismal 2025, Hamilton’s hope is that new regulations that are sweeping into the sport in 2026 will help him challenge further up the grid.
Not only might the new regulations provide Ferrari an opportunity to make a jump on their competitors, but Hamilton will also be glad to be driving a completely new generation of race car that may just be better suited to his talents.
In the ground effect era, Hamilton only claimed two grand prix victories across four full seasons, a measly return given his record as an all-time great.
Across his illustrious career, Hamilton has won 105 grands prix – an all-time record – and has the joint most championships in history with seven.
He is now hoping to add to that tally with Ferrari, who are the most successful F1 outfit in history.