“Lewis Hamilton is lost”: 3-time F1 race winner describes Ferrari star’s dismal season so far

Former Formula 1 driver Johnny Herbert has delivered a blunt assessment of Lewis Hamilton’s underwhelming start to life at Ferrari. The three-time race winner questioned the British driver’s pace amid his struggles with the Italian outfit.

Hamilton completed a switch to Scuderia Ferrari ahead of the 2025 season—a move expected to reignite his championship ambitions. However, his start to life at the Maranello outfit has panned out far from the script many had envisaged.

The seven-time Formula 1 champion’s recent run of form appears to show no signs of improvement, with him even being passed by the Sauber of Nico Hulkenberg during the Spanish Grand Prix.

Herbert, who recently aired his thoughts on Lewis Hamilton, stressed that the former Mercedes driver appears out of sorts with the Italian team.

“It just looks like Lewis Hamilton is lost—really lost. I don’t know if the raw pace that he’s always had throughout his career is there anymore. I thought, with the pure racing skill Hamilton had, he’d be able to drive around any problems with the car, but he seems stuck in a hole. It’s not nice to see,” Herbert was quoted as saying by Planet F1.

Herbert also drew comparisons with other former champions whose careers waned later on.

“It’s not the first time we’ve seen it in the sport, though. Nigel Mansell won his championship in 1992, went to America in 1993, came back in 1994, and it didn’t work anymore for him. It happened with Michael Schumacher too—when he had his break and came back, he wasn’t the same Schumacher as before. You’re always going to have your peak and the end of your peak. It’s not nice to see.”

Lewis Hamilton briefly appeared to have found his rhythm with Ferrari when he clinched pole position and a subsequent sprint race win at the Chinese Grand Prix, but his form has since plummeted in the aftermath of the Shanghai race.

The 40-year-old, in his nine races with the Maranello-based team, has so far failed to record a Grand Prix podium, with his best result being the fourth place he attained at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola.

Johnny Herbert compares Lewis Hamilton’s performance to Charles Leclerc's

Johnny Herbert also drew a comparison between Lewis Hamilton’s performance and that of his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc. The former race steward highlighted the struggles of the former Mercedes driver in contrast with Leclerc.

The 60-year-old stressed how the Monegasque continues to outperform Hamilton, despite Hamilton being the more experienced driver and a serial winner. Continuing his assessment of the British driver, he stated how Leclerc appears to be outperforming the ability of the SF-25 Challenger – something Hamilton has found difficult to match so far.

“I know Charles Leclerc is not happy with the car either, but at least he’s getting podium finishes consistently,” Herberr adde,

“...Sometimes you don’t realise when it’s not as easy as it was before, but when you look across the garage and your teammate is outperforming you, then it may click... Hamilton just can’t seem to get the extra he needs anymore. He won’t understand why he can’t, because he’ll feel like he should be able to. But Leclerc is outperforming you in the same car.”

“Leclerc is only going to grow and is in control of Ferrari’s future. He’s the guy they can rely on. Ferrari can’t rely on Lewis Hamilton at this point. It’s horrible to say, but it’s the truth.”

So far, in the nine races they’ve had as teammates, Hamilton has only been able to finish ahead of Leclerc on one occasion—the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix—with the Monegasque besting the veteran driver in the remaining races both competed in. With mounting media scrutiny surrounding Lewis Hamilton’s form, the 40-year-old will be aiming for a statement response with the Ferrari team as the F1 paddock heads to Montreal for the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix.