Here, Ferrari<\/a> tried an alternative strategy \u2013 Hamilton was the only driver to start on the hard tyres. Without a safety car, he was at risk of losing ground when cars ahead made earlier pit stops.<\/p>\n The trade-off was that he\u2019d have fresher medium rubber for his second and final stint. While Hamilton was able to make a handful of overtakes, he became stuck behind Kimi Antonelli, who scored the final point, and Isack Hadjar.<\/p>\n Speaking on Sky Sports\u2019 F1 Show after the Hungarian Grand Prix<\/a>, pundit Jamie Chadwick<\/a> expressed sympathy for Hamilton. She pointed out that he couldn\u2019t \u2018attack\u2019 after early instructions from Ferrari.<\/p>\n Engineer Riccardo Adami<\/a> told him to lift and coast on lap three, and then again on laps eight and 12. The technique helps to cool the car and protect the underfloor plank (a recurring issue for Ferrari this season), but naturally sacrifices lap time in braking zones.<\/p>\n Hamilton didn\u2019t execute any overtakes before he made his pit stop. Teammate Charles Leclerc was fighting for victory before a mysterious issue led to a dramatic drop-off in pace; he ultimately finished fourth.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a really tough few races,\u201d Chadwick said. \u201cIn that race, lap seven [sic], he was being told to lift more to manage overheating. As a driver, you\u2019re already having a tough weekend, and you\u2019re told you can\u2019t even attack to try and make up for it. <\/p>\n \u201cHe just had a tough weekend. It\u2019s compounded issues that we\u2019ve seen earlier in the year. Part of the reason he\u2019s so down on himself and so frustrated is because he\u2019s gone there to try and win an eighth world title. <\/p>\n \u201cEven if you just have one or two bad weekends, that\u2019s frustrating when he knows what he\u2019s there to try and achieve. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very hard listening to be honest. I really hope the summer break gives time for not just him, but Ferrari, to reflect and find a way out to get the best out of him. It\u2019s not nice for anyone to hear that, but particularly from a driving point of view.\u201d<\/p>\n Martin Brundle drops Lewis Hamilton retirement hint after Budapest woes<\/p>\n Hamilton\u2019s F1 future is somewhat in doubt after he suggested that Ferrari need to replace him in an extraordinary post-qualifying interview.<\/p>\n![\"Lewis](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2227694765-1024x683.jpg\")
Photo by Andrea Diodato\/NurPhoto via Getty Images<\/p>\n