Exclusive: Lewis Hamilton in ‘new territory’ amid concern F1 history could repeat itself.
An insight into Lewis Hamilton and his mindset at Ferrari as the seven-time Formula 1 champion continues to find it difficult to produce his best form since joining the Scuderia.
Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari struggles have been compared to Damon Hill’s final Formula 1 season in which the Brit found it “increasingly difficult to win”. The seven-time F1 champion joined up with the sport’s most famous team at the start of this year to huge fanfare.
But the performances on track have hardly matched the level of hype off it. Other than a Sprint race victory in China, his results have left a lot to be desired and Hamilton has yet to stand on an F1 podium for Ferrari at the end of a full-length Grand Prix.
His results have led to some particularly glum comments being made by Hamilton himself at times this year, but F1 pundit and former Red Bull executive Mark Gallagher is not sure everyone should take such comments and interviews at face value.
“The thing is with Lewis, my read of the situation is that people shouldn’t be too quick to jump to a conclusion just because of him being downbeat about the car’s performance, about the fact that he has to now endure Grand Prix, where he knows he cannot win,” he told Mirror Sport, via Betway.
“In fact, he knows he cannot even really consistently compete for podium finishes. This is essentially new territory for Lewis in recent years. Mercedes took a wrong turn with their car development from 2022 onwards. He’s had a very difficult time there. Lewis has then gone to Ferrari and, of course, Lewis just races to win.
“He’s not there to finish fifth for sixth or eighth or whatever. One of the interesting aspects of working in Formula 1 for a long time, which, I’ve been very privileged to do, is you get to see how world champions, like Lewis behave when they find themselves in a car that’s not competitive.”
To make his point, Gallagher cited Damon Hill’s career trajectory — a driver who claimed the 1996 F1 World Championship with Williams but later joined less competitive teams. Within three years, Hill walked away from the sport, disillusioned by his dwindling chances to race at the front.
He continued: “Damon Hill was a phenomenal British World Champion. He attacked his early races with real intensity. I know it’s a bit of a throwback, but 1999—his final season—was particularly challenging.
“A big part of it was psychological. He started to believe that winning was no longer realistic. I remember him saying that when you enter a race weekend genuinely thinking you can win on Sunday, it changes everything about how you approach the event.
“But when you show up knowing you’ll likely qualify on the fourth or fifth row, your best-case scenario becomes collecting a few solid points—or with some luck, sneaking onto the podium. It’s a completely different mindset.”
