In what could have been a hopeful outing for Lewis Hamilton, a seventh-place finish at the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix turned into a moment of profound disappointment.

The seven-time World Champion, who is no stranger to podium finishes, delivered a stark assessment of Ferrari’s struggles this season, labeling the upcoming year as “painful” and offering “no fix” for the team’s issues.

Despite the Jeddah Corniche Circuit being known for its technical difficulty, Hamilton’s performance stood in stark contrast to that of his Ferrari teammate, Charles Leclerc, who managed to secure a podium finish.

While Leclerc’s third-place result was celebrated by the team, Hamilton’s race was anything but smooth. Starting from seventh and finishing in the same position, the Briton’s race was marred by what he described as a lack of grip and a car that simply couldn’t keep pace.

A Disheartening Day in Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, which many hoped would provide a breakthrough for Ferrari, turned out to be a frustrating affair for Hamilton. Throughout the race, he swapped positions with McLaren’s Lando Norris, who eventually surged to a fourth-place finish after starting from 10th. Hamilton, on the other hand, never seemed to find his rhythm. In his own words, the race was “horrible,” with Hamilton battling massive understeer in the first stint and tire degradation in the second.

“First stint, massive understeer, car not turning, and then massive deg,” Hamilton revealed. “In the second stint, slightly better balance but still just no pace. Pretty bad.”

For a driver of Hamilton’s caliber, this was a stark contrast to what we have come to expect from him, particularly given his stellar performance in China, where he won the sprint race from pole position. But after three consecutive underwhelming performances, the champion remains perplexed by the downturn in his form.

“No Fix” for the Ferrari SF-25

When asked why he struggled so much after such a promising start to the season, Hamilton was candid: “I don’t have an answer for you, no. There’s nothing. Balance, struggling to feel the car beneath me, but there’s no particular thing. It’s just, there’s nothing to say, ‘Hey, this is the issue.’”

The lack of answers seems to weigh heavily on Hamilton, especially as he looks ahead to the rest of the 2025 season. He has no illusions about the situation, revealing that Ferrari’s SF-25 remains unsolvable at this point. “At the moment, there’s no fix,” he admitted. “This is how it’s going to be for the rest of the year. It’s just going to be painful.”

Hamilton’s frustration is palpable, as it is clear that the 2025 Ferrari is far from the car he once raced in. Ferrari’s internal issues and performance problems have been a topic of discussion for months, but Hamilton’s comments bring these concerns to the forefront. With the 2025 F1 season already in full swing, it seems as though the Italian team will need more than just technical tweaks to turn their fortunes around.

A Long Road Ahead for Ferrari

As it stands, Lewis Hamilton sits in seventh place in the World Championship standings with 33 points. He trails current leader Oscar Piastri by a considerable margin of 66 points. Meanwhile, his teammate Charles Leclerc is not much closer to Piastri with 50 points. The gap is wide, and with Ferrari continuing to struggle with their SF-25, the team faces a long and difficult road ahead.

The challenges are compounded by the unpredictability of the season. With the car still lacking the speed and balance necessary to challenge for podiums, Ferrari’s prospects for the rest of the season seem dim. As Hamilton has noted, without significant changes to the car, the team will likely continue to fall short of their potential.

Ferrari’s Hope for the Future

Despite the grim outlook, there is still some hope for Ferrari fans. Leclerc’s podium finish in Saudi Arabia was a small victory for the team and offered a glimmer of hope. However, with Hamilton’s concerns hanging over the team’s future performance, it’s clear that Ferrari’s problems run deeper than just a single bad race.

Hamilton’s words are a sobering reminder of the challenges facing Ferrari, and his candid assessment of the team’s struggles shows that even a seven-time World Champion like him is finding it difficult to extract the best performance from the SF-25. Whether or not Ferrari can make the necessary changes to become competitive again remains to be seen.

For now, Hamilton’s warning remains clear: the 2025 season is going to be a painful one for Ferrari, and there seems to be no quick fix in sight. As the season unfolds, fans will be left hoping for a miracle turnaround, but with every passing race, that hope becomes more distant.