Lewis Hamilton suggested to deal with “messed up” Ferrari situation amid disappointing season

Former Ferrari driver Gerhard Berger suggested that Lewis Hamilton should take control of the Italian team all by himself after the start of a disappointing season. He mentioned that Hamilton would have to take the responsibility all by himself.

Hamilton's move to Ferrari this season has been rather uneventful as the Briton has failed to reach the podium in a race so far. Although he did win the Sprint in China, the main race turned out to be disappointing as he only managed to finish P6, and was later disqualified along with his teammate, Charles Leclerc. The latter's car was found to be underweight, while Hamilton had excessive plank wear.

Leclerc, however, has had a much more competitive season. He has scored multiple podium-finishing places this season and was also on pole for the Hungarian GP. His efforts have kept the team in second place in the Constructors' Championship.

This, however, might be an issue for Lewis Hamilton, suggested former F1 driver Gerhard Berger. He claimed that the Briton has always been the number 1 driver of his team, but the "messed up" situation at Ferrari has turned fate around for him.

"The whole thing is a bit messed up," Berger told Krone. "Lewis was always used to being number one in a team. Now Leclerc has him under control."

Berger added that "status shouldn't play a role" for the driver and that he should take responsibility to step up and get the team under control, including his teammate.

"But this is more of a morality tale; status shouldn't play a role. Lewis is struggling with it, though, but he has to get out of it himself, get the car and his teammate under control. It's entirely up to him."

There were several considerations while assessing Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari, which could affect his overall competitiveness in the field. These factors have seemingly affected his performance within the team, apart from the car's degraded performance (in reference to last season's car).

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Lewis Hamilton reflects on "intense" work environment at Ferrari

Having raced for Mercedes for over a decade, Hamilton was expected to face some difficulties adapting to the cultural shift at Ferrari. Moreover, this is also the first time in his career that he has driven a Ferrari-powered Formula 1 car, so there was also the factor of his acquaintance with the Mercedes-powered cars.

Lewis Hamilton earlier reflected on the work environment he has witnessed so far this season with the Italian outfit. He mentioned that it was more "intense" than he anticipated it to be.

"It's not at all what I expected; it's more intense in so many areas," Lewis Hamilton told French outlet RTBF Actus. "I didn't expect that. I didn't think the team at the factory would be so impressive. I was expecting energy, but this... it's even more intense than I imagined."

Hamilton is expected to improve his performance, going ahead in the season. With 10 races remaining, Ferrari is stuck in second place in the World Championship, but Mercedes has been closing the gap ever so slightly, and could challenge the team in the final legs of the 2025 F1 season.