Pundit reckons Lewis Hamilton's deficit to Charles Leclerc similar to what Yuki Tsunoda has to Max Verstappen 

F1 pundit Mark Hughes claimed that Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton's deficit to his teammate Charles Leclerc was similar to Yuki Tsunoda's to Max Verstappen in the 2025 season. It has been a difficult first half of the season for the seven-time F1 world champion in his first year with the Italian team.

Despite a surprising pole in the Sprint Shootout, followed by a Sprint win in China in the second round of the season, Hamilton has failed to replicate his heroics from Shanghai and is yet to claim his first podium with the Maranello-based outfit in the main race.

In the first 14 races and three Sprints, Lewis Hamilton has been comprehensively beaten by his teammate Charles Leclerc and, on occasion, produced a worrying deficit in terms of performance. On the recent episode of the Race F1 podcast, Hughes believed that the 40-year-old's form was becoming untenable and said:

"There's that concern, most definitely. If this were the form of a second driver, a Franco Colapinto or a Yuki Tsunoda, which is not that dissimilar if you're making the comparison to the lead driver, we wouldn't be surprised to hear rumors that they're being looked at for replacements next year.

"That's very different when it's somebody of the stature of a seven-time world champion. Is it a permanent trait? Is it an adjustment thing? Meanwhile, the pressure upon him ramps up not just from himself but also from the corporate side of the financial side of Ferrari, which he's made reference as well," (4:20)

The British driver trails his teammate by 42 points and has only scored six points from the last three competitive sessions.

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Mercedes team boss backs Lewis Hamilton amidst his struggles

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff stated that he believed Lewis Hamilton's extreme reactions during the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix weekend were "very raw" but expressed confidence in the latter's ability to turn the situation around.

Speaking with F1.com, the Austrian gave an honest reaction to his ex-charge's comments and said,

“That is Lewis wearing his heart on his sleeve. It’s what he thought very much when he was asked after the session. It was very raw. He was doubting himself. He’s the GOAT and he will always be the GOAT, and nobody is going to take that away. That’s something he needs to always remember, he’s the greatest of all time.”

Lewis Hamilton has only won two races since the start of the current generation of ground-effect cars and has largely struggled to adapt to them. Over the last couple of weeks, he has openly spoken about shifting his focus to the new regulations next year in his bid to best prepare himself for the future.