Lewis Hamilton will bring his first campaign as a Ferrari driver to an end at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and won’t reflect on the 2025 campaign fondly.
No Formula 1 driver wants their campaign to peak in March, but that’s exactly what happened to Lewis Hamilton.
Hamilton’s victory in the Sprint Race in China after taking pole position ended up being an outlier rather than the trend of how his first year with Ferrari would go.
The 40-year-old heads into the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in a battle with Andrea Kimi Antonelli to finish sixth in the drivers’ championship.
Ferrari icon Jean Alesi has slammed Fred Vasseur after he used the team’s preparations for 2026 to try and explain why Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have been so far off the pace.
Ralf Schumacher has been taking a closer look at Hamilton’s form this year and has spotted a worrying trend.
He believes that after a year with Ferrari, he’s shown no signs of adapting his driving style, and with new regulations on the way, that could be the final nail in the coffin for the seven-time world champion.
Ralf Schumacher thinks Lewis Hamilton’s ‘driving style’ will deny him another F1 championship
Schumacher was speaking about Hamilton on the Backstage Boxengasse Podcast and said: “So, from my point of view, Lewis Hamilton joined the team with big goals to bring Ferrari back to the front.
“I pointed this out right from the start and said, OK, that could be difficult without testing. But the bigger problem is that they haven’t moved forward, that nothing has changed.
“Lewis hasn’t really been able to help the team either, which is a big problem, and it seems that this is still the case.
“Lewis is somewhat chasing the feeling he had when he last became world champion, that he needs this car.
“That’s a clear sign that he’s no longer able to change his driving style. And that, of course, is a danger in itself. If I were Ferrari team boss today, I would know full well that next year there will be completely new rules and he would have to completely change his style again.
“So, in my opinion, this year has shown that it would be better for Lewis Hamilton to take on a different role.”
Ralf Schumacher doubles down on Oliver Bearman replacing Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari
Schumacher has suggested Ferrari should replace Hamilton with Oliver Bearman next season, with the 40-year-old’s star waning.
“In my view, Oliver Bearman deserves it; he’s doing a great job at Haas. That’s the future,” Schumacher continued.
“Ferrari still has a year or two ahead of them where they need to do something, where they need to build something, at least I think so.
“And accordingly, investing in the future with Oliver Bearman makes more sense than investing in the past with Lewis Hamilton.
“I’m sorry to say this, but when I compare the results, Carlos Sainz did exactly the opposite, went to Williams, also had his teething problems and was on the podium, and that’s how it should have been with Lewis Hamilton.”
Schumacher’s suggestion that Hamilton should take on a new role at Ferrari might tie into something Leclerc said in Qatar.
Leclerc believes Ferrari must listen to Hamilton more when developing their car, and that could lead to the seven-time world champion taking on more of a background role.
Convincing Hamilton to do that when he has his sights set on an eighth world championship would likely be impossible, but highlights where his strengths lie and raises further questions about why Ferrari are working hard to exploit them.