Lewis Hamilton blamed himself for Ferrari’s struggles following the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix. Speaking to Sky Sports F1, the seven-time world champion commended the team for its strategy but admitted he didn’t have answers for his performance issues.
By lap 10, Hamilton, who was running fourth, was instructed by the team to let Charles Leclerc through, as his tyres were already struggling for grip. While he regained positions through the pit stop phases, a safety car on lap 55 ultimately worked against him. Most of the field, including both Ferrari drivers, opted for a fourth pit stop. Leclerc and Hamilton were both fitted with used soft tyres, which still helped Leclerc overtake Max Verstappen, who was on hards. However, Nico Hülkenberg, equipped with a brand-new set of softs, overtook Hamilton, pushing the Brit down to sixth.
Lewis Hamilton admitted it was a difficult day and said there was no clear explanation for his lack of pace. He praised the team’s effort and strategy but felt that the answers to his struggles weren’t entirely within Ferrari’s grasp. Taking the blame upon himself, he acknowledged that Leclerc’s podium finish and stronger qualifying performance only added to the frustration, as he couldn’t explain the gap in performance between them.
Describing his race to Sky Sports F1, Lewis Hamilton said:
“Not particularly. Just not a great day.”
Asked about the team strategy, he replied:
“Strategy was good. Team did a great job. Just that’s it.”
Asked about his lack of answers to the performance deficit, Lewis Hamilton added:
“I’ve had a really bad day and have nothing to say. It was a difficult day. There’s nothing else to add to it. It was terrible. There’s no point explaining it. It’s not your fault. I just don’t know what to say.”
On whether the team can find answers, he said:
“I’m sure they won’t. It’s probably just me.”
Lewis Hamilton is clueless about his performance woes at the Spanish GP
Lewis Hamilton admitted he was at a loss to explain his performance struggles at the Spanish Grand Prix. Despite being on used soft tires in the closing stages, like most of the field, the Brit felt that tire condition alone wasn’t the reason behind his frustrating race. Speaking to the onsite print media, the Ferrari driver offered only brief responses to questions, suggesting he was still processing the issues. When asked about his lack of rear grip from the start, he said that detail essentially summed up the entire story of his race.
Asked if getting stuck on the used set of soft tires made the race frustrating, Hamilton said:
“Everyone was on the same tyres.”
Asked whether the complaints on the radio about rear grip from earlier in the race were the whole story, he said:
“It naturally is.”
Asked if the car had improved at any point this weekend, he said:
“I have no idea why you’d say that.”
Asked if he had no answers with all his race experience, Lewis Hamilton replied:
“It’s the worst race I’ve experienced.”
Asked if he planned to be in the simulator and with the team working on resolving the performance issues between Spain and Canada, he replied:
“I’m going on it.”
Lewis Hamilton is currently sixth in the Drivers’ championship with 71 points, trailing his teammate Charles Leclerc, who has amassed 94 points—a gap of 23 points between the Ferrari duo. While Leclerc has secured back-to-back podiums in recent races, Hamilton’s best result in his maiden season with the Scuderia remains his sprint race victory in China.
In the Constructors’ championship, Ferrari has moved up to second, surpassing both Mercedes and Red Bull. McLaren leads the standings with 362 points, followed by Ferrari with 165. Mercedes are third with 159 points, while Red Bull have slipped to fourth with 144.
Edited by Luke Koshi