8th World Title seems out of grasp for Hamilton this season amid Ferrari woes

Based on an Italian’s perspective on Ferrari, if you cannot win a Formula 1 race in the Prancing Horse, then “you’re an idiot”. But how can that be if a seven-time World Champion is behind the wheel? 

Perhaps the once revered Italian car manufacturer has lost its magic touch…and F1 prowess along with it. 

We’re nine races deep into the 2025 season, the year when Sir Lewis Hamilton was touted to take home his eighth World Title according to Ferrari, but still, fans only saw a glimmer of greatness in China. 

It was common knowledge that Hamilton would take some time to adjust to life in red, which also includes acclimatising himself to a new car and more especially a new team. 

Coming out of his relationship in Mercedes, where Toto Wolff took him as a son, Hamilton found himself surrounded by new engineers and a new voice whispering in his ear during races. 

A bit of the animosity within the Ferrari camp bubbled to the surface at the Miami Grand Prix, after verbal exchange between Hamilton and his engineer Riccardo Adami grew extremely tense during the dying stages of the race that eventually cost Hamilton time. 

A race later, in Monaco, the tension arose once again. Hamilton asked Adami over the radio “are you upset with me or something?” to which he only received static in response. 

With a car that lacks the pace to catch up to McLaren or Max Verstappen - when he’s not playing bumper cars, Hamilton’s chances of an eighth title have seemingly faded away. 

The British racer downplayed the tension between Adami and himself, calling it “noise”. 

“Our relationship is great. No problems. We're constantly learning more and more about each other, we're constantly adapting to the way both of us like to work.

“He's worked with lots of different drivers before. We don't have any problems at all…There's a lot of speculation. I mean, most of it's BS. Ultimately, we have a great relationship.

“He's been amazing to work with, he's a great guy, working so hard – we both are – and we don't always get it right every weekend. We have disagreements, like everyone does in relationships, but we work through them,” Hamilton said, adding that they’re “focused on the title”.  

Hamilton’s not cracked the 100 point mark after nine races and is sixth in the Driver Standings behind his teammate Charles Leclerc, who has outperformed him at almost every race.

Sir Lewis affirmed that his debut year in red is about building a solid foundation so that they can attack the crown next year. 

Former World Champion David Coulthard has questioned if Hamilton made the right move by leaving Mercedes, saying an eighth World Title looks out of reach even for a driver of his calibre. 

“I always had the feeling that Lewis had built up a special relationship and loyalty to Mercedes.  “That’s why I was totally confused when I found out about his switch.

“It was a bit like Michael’s return to Formula 1 at Mercedes, even though he had built up such a legacy at Ferrari. But ultimately, it’s Lewis’ path, his story, his book that he’s writing,” the Scottish driver told an F1 publication.