Lewis Hamilton has insisted that \u201cRome wasn\u2019t built in a day\u201d as he nears the end of a difficult first season with Ferrari.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It comes after reports earlier this week claimed that the seven-time world champion is unlikely to be offered a new contract when his current Ferrari deal expires.<\/p>\n
Lewis Hamilton defends slow start at Ferrari: \u2018Rome wasn\u2019t built in a day\u2019<\/p>\n
Hamilton has struggled across his first season with Ferrari following his high-profile move from Mercedes last winter, failing to register a podium finish in his first 20 appearances for his new team.<\/p>\n
The 40-year-old trails teammate Charles Leclerc, who collected his seventh podium of the F1 2025 season at last weekend\u2019s Mexican Grand Prix, by a massive 64 points with four rounds remaining.<\/p>\n
It was claimed earlier this week that \u2018several senior figures\u2019 have indicated that Hamilton will not be handed a contract extension by Ferrari<\/a> at the end of his existing deal.<\/p>\n Lewis Hamilton vs Charles Leclerc: Ferrari head-to-head scores for F1 2025<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49\u00a0F1 2025: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between team-mates<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49\u00a0F1 2025: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates<\/a><\/p>\n The \u2018multi-year\u2019 contract Hamilton signed to join Ferrari in early 2024 is widely believed to run until the end of next season.<\/p>\n However, it was claimed earlier this year that Hamilton\u2019s contract could contain an option \u2013 purely on his side \u2013 to extend his current deal until the end of 2027<\/a> if he wishes, giving Ferrari little say on the matter.<\/p>\n In an interview with in-house publication Ferrari Magazine, Hamilton has defended his slow start to life at the Italian team.<\/p>\n Asked if he expected his move to Ferrari to prove so seismic, he said: \u201cI knew that aligning our brands would be big.<\/p>\n \u201cBut it still hits you and you\u2019re like: \u2018This is even more powerful than I imagined.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s beautiful and there have been plenty of positives, although a lot of responsibility and weight comes with it.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone expects to win straight away, but Rome wasn\u2019t built in a day. How long did it take? We\u2019ll have to look that up.\u201d<\/p>\n Put to him that anyone who knows anything about F1 is aware that it takes time to win, Hamilton replied: \u201cAnd that\u2019s not many people.<\/p>\n \u201cOnly when you\u2019re inside a team can you really, truly understand how it works and how F1 works. You can\u2019t imagine how the machine really operates otherwise.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been in F1 for so long, but when I came to this team it really was different again.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I don\u2019t blame people for not knowing.<\/p>\n \u201cAll I can do is continue to focus on the things that I can control. How I prepare and work with the team. How I show up each day and stay positive.\u201d<\/p>\n More on Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49 Lewis Hamilton news<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49 Ferrari news<\/a><\/p>\n Hamilton\u2019s latest comments come after George Russell, his former Mercedes teammate, was linked with a potential switch to Ferrari in the future.<\/p>\n A report in Italy has claimed that Russell is \u2018highly regarded\u2019 by Ferrari\u2019s senior management<\/a> having emerged as one of the best drivers on the grid since joining Mercedes in 2022.<\/p>\n Russell recently signed a new contract to remain with Mercedes for the F1 2026 season, ending months of speculation surrounding his future.<\/p>\n Yet with Mercedes opting against specifying the exact length of Russell\u2019s new deal, it was speculated that the team could renew its interest in Red Bull driver and reigning four-time world champion Max Verstappen ahead of the 2027 season.<\/p>\n However, Russell confirmed earlier this week that his new contract contains a clause that will automatically trigger an extension<\/a> for 2027 if he meets certain performance targets in 2026.<\/p>\n He told the Telegraph:\u00a0\u201cIt is something I haven\u2019t actually said publicly, but the deal is if I\u2019m performing [next year] we have a specific clause that if I reach [a certain target], we will automatically renew for 2027.<\/p>\n \u201cSo my seat for 2027 is in my hands. So I\u2019m not being strung along here.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not going to be in the same position as we were six months ago.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I perform, and I don\u2019t want to go into details, but if I perform, then 100 per cent I\u2019ll be staying.\u201d<\/p>\n