Lewis Hamilton arrived at Ferrari in F1 2025 to great fanfare, but his first season in Maranello struggled to live up to the hype.
Damon Hill, the 1996 World Champion, suggested that Hamilton perhaps went overboard on the “workload”. He hinted that F1 2025 may be an even more difficult season to process for Hamilton than 2021, when he missed out on a record eighth title under controversial circumstances.
Lewis Hamilton needs to ‘enjoy life’ in reset after F1 2025
Hamilton called time on his record-breaking Mercedes career to complete a blockbuster move to Ferrari. It was a switch which united the sport’s most successful driver and team.
However, Hamilton ended his first year at Ferrari without a single podium result, that the first time he had ever gone a full season without one. Winning the China Sprint was one of precious few highlights for Hamilton.
“It’s not been a season that he will look back on. It might even be worse than 2021, for him,” Hill said of Hamilton, while speaking on the Drive to Wynn podcast.
Hill was referring to the 2021 season, where Hamilton found himself on the brink of winning a record eighth crown, only for a late Safety Car and controversial restart to flip the situation on its head. Instead, Max Verstappen left Abu Dhabi as World Champion for the first time.
Only Hamilton will know where the disappointment of F1 2025 ranks versus 2021, but after a harrowing season regardless, one which triggered a dejected Hamilton on various occasions, Hill claims that his compatriot desperately needs a reset in the off-season.
Hill suggested that Hamilton perhaps put too much on his plate in his first Ferrari year.
“They’ve all done a great job. This season is gruelling,” said Hill of the F1 2025 drivers. “They get paid well, and they’re doing the job they love, but 24 races, and different time zones all over the place, it takes its toll. They definitely will need a break after this one.
“And mentally, I think it’s exhausting.
“I think Lewis, particularly, he never really recovered from ’21. I mean, he went into the next few seasons and the car wasn’t competitive, and he struggled there. I think he was demotivated, and he went to Ferrari as a kind of way to give himself another chance.
“I think he maybe overdid the workload. He was everywhere, promoting, working, and trying to get to know the team.
“I think he probably needs a rest. Of all of them, he probably needs to go away and just enjoy life.”
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It was a disappointing season for Ferrari in general as the team went winless. The frustrations were very much also felt on Charles Leclerc’s side of the garage, but he comparatively excelled versus his seven-time champion teammate.
Leclerc made the podium seven times, and ended the year 86 points better off than Hamilton.
“I don’t think anyone can look at what Charles has done and not conclude that he’s an extremely fast racing driver, and got the potential to become a World Champion,” Hill stated.
“They just need to give him the car.”
Better times could be around the corner for Hamilton and Leclerc in F1 2026, should Ferrari make a strong start to the new regulatory era. Revamped chassis and engine rules are on the way, sparking the potential for major shifts in the pecking order.
Hamilton admitted that he has not faired well with the ground effect F1 cars which were here from 2022-25, so is hoping that the new rules will help him out of the rut.
“This generation was probably the worst one, I would say, and I’m praying that the next one is not worse.”
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