Despite a tumultuous start to his Ferrari career, Lewis Hamilton finds support from returning F1 driver on the grid 

The ground-effect era of regulations in F1 has not been kind to many drivers, including Lewis Hamilton, as per the paddock chatter, but Sergio Perez has taken the stance for the Brit amid his subpar results. The Mexican shared that the 40-year-old is having to face the challenge of adapting to a new team in the last year of the rule cycle and affirms his faith in the seven-time champion.

Hamilton moved over from Mercedes to Ferrari with the hopes of fighting for the world championship with the Scuderia, as per the team's trends in 2024. However, McLaren has been the clear benchmark this season, with the Prancing Horses having been lapped in the Constructors' standings by the British outfit.

Though the Italian giants sit second in the table, their intra-team points tally has shown Charles Leclerc's prowess behind the wheel, while Hamilton has struggled. The Monegasque has scored 42 more points in the first 14 races and has been the sole driver to bring podiums and a pole position in the Grand Prix format.

This disparity led the paddock to discern how Lewis Hamilton is struggling to adapt to the new team amid the ground effect era of regulations, where he has struggled to maintain his car in the Goldilocks zone since 2022. But, when asked about how the 2026 regulations could benefit drivers like Sergio Perez and Hamilton, the former backed the Brit and said during the Cadillac press conference:

"I think, with Lewis, you've seen it. He's done a tremendous job at Mercedes when they didn't have a competitive car. I think for him at the end of an era to be changing teams and getting to adapt has been tricky. But obviously, it's a fantastic driver, and for sure he'll figure it out."

After a three-week-plus break, F1 will return to racing, with the next Grand Prix taking place in Zandvoort on August 31.

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Fred Vasseur deems Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc to be ready to take on the Dutch GP

Lewis Hamilton at the 2025 F1 Grand Prix of Hungary race weekend - Source: Getty

Lewis Hamilton faced tough results before the beginning of the summer break. He was unable to reach Q3 at both the Belgian and Hungarian GP, while his points scoring streak came to an end at the latter race weekend, where he started and finished 12th.

Despite this, the summer break has helped the scarlet duo recharge themselves, as Ferrari's team principal, Fred Vasseur, stated (via Ferrari):

"In the Netherlands, we want to maintain the positive momentum built up over the past few races, where we made progress in terms of competitiveness. Charles [Leclerc] and Lewis [Hamilton] are ready, and the team is fully focused, determined to put them in the best possible position to get some good results. This weekend, that means starting right from qualifying, which is particularly crucial at Zandvoort, given how difficult overtaking can be at this track."

Lewis Hamilton has a best finish of second at the Dutch GP, which he achieved in 2021.