In the illuminated desert that defines Las Vegas, Ferrari was lost again. and Lewis Hamiltoncementing his star for 2025, deepened the feeling of emotional collapse he and the team have been experiencing since the beginning of the year.
The Briton finished 10th – eighth after McLaren was twice disqualified – but even this statistical consolation did not move him. “Nothing,” he answered when asked what he could salvage from the weekend. “Tenth place means nothing. It was my worst season. I try everything, in and out of the car, and it just keeps getting worse.” Hard, dry and forward. No filter.
Frustration is not new, but it is growing. Hamilton started 20th due to a blunder in the first quarterThe wet track and lack of timing left him without completing a fast lap. Although he rose to the positions at the start thanks to the chaos of the first turn, he did not have the rhythm for more than a supporting role. Ferrari ended the race with a worrying prognosis: not only was it close to finishing the year third in the Constructors’ Championship, but it also seemed to have lost the clarity in anticipating its weaknesses.
What was striking was not the result, but the appearance. Hamilton spoke as if the season were a punishment. “I don’t even know how many points we have, but at this rate, and with my performance, we’re done“, he slid when asked about the fight for the constructors’ runner-up. Mathematically possible, yes; realistically, not so much: Ferrari is fourth, 53 points behind Mercedes and 16 behind Red Bull. Abyss for two races.
In Maranello they noticed the pessimism of the seven-time world champion. For this reason, Fred Vasseur, the team leader, tried to ease the tension. “I have to understand Lewis’ reaction immediately after the race, but we all have to calm down,” he said. For the Frenchman, the key to the weekend was Thursday: Ferrari showed a competitive pace that was never seen again. “Starting with the latter is never the best way to achieve a good resultHe explained.
Vasseur also relativized the cruelty of the British pilot. “The TV area five minutes into the race is very tough. Naturally the adrenaline takes over. I prefer honest pilots, who say they are frustrated, “Before those who repeat that everything is fine.”
A reversal marks a central point in a season Jumping horse: Hamilton arrived to provide experience, leadership and a winning mentalityBut the SF-25 didn’t give him the tools to compete. He has never found real comfort in a car that punishes the rear axle, which has been his Achilles’ heel since 2022.
Charles LeclercMeanwhile, he lived a different but equally bitter career. He was sixth after a complicated Saturday, due to a wet race where he also struggled with an unpredictable car. On pure pace, it was the best Ferrari of the weekend. “I paid 200%. I didn’t withhold anything,” he said. His race had great moments, such as passing Oscar Piastri on lap 12, but a stop three laps later ruled him rowed from behind. “I was trapped with the DRS, facing an opponent from the DRS,” he lamented. “It is very difficult.”
One of the most discussed points at Ferrari This was precisely the strategy. With no real long-term data due to Friday’s rain, the team opted for a conservative plan that did not work. “It’s easier to evaluate him after the checkered flag,” Vasseur agreed. The reality is that even with the sanctions imposed on McLaren, Ferrari was left without a podium finish on a track where it had imagined it was possible.
In the weekend summary, the technical side is mixed with the emotional. Leclerc ended up resigning: “I won’t miss this car.”. Within fifteen days, the SF-25 would be history, perhaps without victories and with a sense of missed opportunity. A model that never achieved a good stability point and forced its pilots to run as hard as they could to scrape up the crumbs.
Meanwhile, Hamilton is going through an unusual scenario in his career: A year without platforms, without continuous rhythm, without answers. The statistics are overwhelming, but their state of mind is even more so. His arrival at Ferrari, presented as an epic rebirth, led to a year full of frustration and self-criticism.
The good news for Scuderia And it’s also the simplest thing: the season is about to end. In Qatar and Abu Dhabi, there will still be goals to achieve, but the real focus is already on 2026. The challenge will be enormous: to get Hamilton back emotionally and athletically and to design a car that allows them to dream again.