Specifically, it’s Hamilton’s decision to shoulder the blame for a poor performance rather than deflecting it back onto the team.
It’s been a challenging start to the F1 2025 season for Lewis Hamilton.
The start of the year marked Hamilton’s move to Scuderia Ferrari after spending over a decade amassing Formula 1 records at Mercedes. It was an announcement that caught the F1 world by surprise in early 2024 and was followed by significant hype and anticipation.
But so far, that hype hasn’t been lived up to. While Hamilton has finished in the points in all but one race he was classified in, his only victory came at the Sprint race in China — and that was quickly overshadowed by a disqualification.
Frustrations have mounted, leaving Lewis Hamilton to brand himself as “useless” during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, claiming that the team would be better with a different driver.
But ask Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, and Hamilton’s frustrations with himself set him in an elite tier.
“Ferrari is the team with the greatest heritage in the world, and for Lewis, driving for them is a great honour but also a challenge,” Wolff stated in an interview with Italian publication Gazzetta.
“He puts his heart into everything he does and is very sincere: when he goes through difficult times, he takes responsibility for them.
“It’s a characteristic of the greats: if they know they haven’t performed well, they don’t blame the team but look within themselves. Once this moment has passed, he will return with the same motivation as always.”
Regarding that champions’ mindset, Wolff said it’s also obvious in the way that Hamilton treats Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli.
Asked about his feelings on Hamilton taking the young driver under his wing and offering words of advice, Wolff replied, “I think champions recognise other champions.
“Lewis remains very important to us. He was a pillar of our team and will always be part of the Mercedes family, even though he now drives for Ferrari.
“My friendship with Lewis remains unchanged. We talk often, and I think he understands the challenges Kimi faces.”
As things currently stand, Lewis Hamilton sits sixth overall in the F1 drivers’ standings — 42 points in arrears of his teammate Charles Leclerc in fifth, but 45 points ahead of Antonelli in seventh place.
With teams not expected to introduce major upgrades at this stage in the F1 2025 season given the regulatory overhaul that’s coming next year, Hamilton will be hoping that his feedback and guidance in developing the Scuderia’s 2026 machine will provide him with a more comfortable and competitive car.
