LEWIS HAMILTON'S "WORST SEASON": FERRARI'S REAR-END PROBLEM NEEDS WINTER FIX
Lewis Hamilton finished his debut season at Ferrari without a single podium, a record loss blamed on the car's "terrible rear end problem" and excessive, confidence-killing oversteer.
Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari probably don’t have fond memories of their first F1 season together. This winter break is critical to avoid repeating the seven-time world champion’s most disappointing year.
Since his debut with McLaren in 2007, this was the first time Hamilton didn't get a single Grand Prix podium finish.
He now holds a record previously held by Louis Rosier: most races for Ferrari without a top-three finish, excluding sprint events.
Charles Leclerc easily beat his new teammate in the championship. But Leclerc also didn't win a race. This shows the problem wasn't just Hamilton.
Ferrari is already planning changes to Hamilton’s car for 2026, when new regulations will likely shake up the grid order.
Former F1 driver Robert Doornbos talked about the problems facing Hamilton and Ferrari.
Looking at onboard footage of both Ferrari drivers, he thinks the team has a serious problem they need to fix.
Doornbos said Ferrari has a terrible rear-end problem that they must solve before next season on The Pit Talk Podcast at the end of the 2025 season.
Talking about Ferrari’s year, he noted the car is hard to manage. “I watched some onboard footage with Lewis and Charles. The amount of power oversteer is just too much. The rear end is unstable.
Finish the sentence: In 2027, the Ferrari driver line-up will be…
“Understeer is when you turn in, and the car doesn't respond; it goes straight. Oversteer is when you turn in, and the rear end slides out. That doesn’t give drivers confidence.
“Not many drivers can handle a car with oversteer at high speed. Max Verstappen is one of them.
“He likes the car to be precise at the front. He uses his talent to control the rear.
“I think both Lewis and Charles have quick reactions, but this car looks difficult to handle. Ferrari didn’t do a good job.”
There’s talk about the future for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc after Ferrari's disappointing season.
They are at different points in their careers; there’s still speculation about what the next few seasons will look like for them.
Hamilton denied rumours that he might leave Ferrari at the end of the season, even though he often looked unhappy after disappointing races.
He hopes Ferrari’s focus on the 2026 car will give him a chance to win again.
Leclerc’s position is more complicated, as he knows he’s entering his prime as an F1 driver.
With rumours that rival teams are watching Leclerc’s situation, he’s made it clear to his manager what he wants to happen next.
McLaren is reportedly interested in Leclerc if Oscar Piastri leaves. It might be hard for Leclerc to turn down their interest if Ferrari doesn’t fix their car problems from last season.
THE 2026 ULTIMATUM: WHY NEXT SEASON IS "MAKE OR BREAK" FOR LEWIS HAMILTON
After a winless 2025 debut, Lewis Hamilton faces a pivotal year. See why Steiner believes the 7x champ is nearing the F1 exit.
Guenther Steiner, who used to run the Haas team, thinks Lewis Hamilton might quit Formula 1 if Ferrari can't get to the top of the Driver's Championship by 2026—he thinks that season will be super important for the racing star.
Hamilton had a tough first year with Ferrari, ending up sixth in the F1 rankings with 156 points.
That was 86 points behind his teammate, Charles Leclerc, and he didn't even get on the podium once, which is a first for him in a full season.
He often said he was bummed out about how his Ferrari debut was going.
Back in November, after the Las Vegas Grand Prix, he told Sky Sports, I feel awful. This has been the worst season ever, and it just keeps getting worse no matter how hard I try. I'm trying everything I can, both in and out of the car.
Hamilton looked pretty sad a lot during the season because he couldn't really fight for race wins.
Steiner told Sports Krone, I think if Ferrari has a good car next season, Hamilton might be able to turn things around. If they are more competitive, Lewis might find his drive again. But if things stay the same, next season will probably be his last in Formula 1. He's not going to go through that again. The situation is tough for him, and you could see that in every interview. So, the next season will be key for him.
What's Hamilton saying about quitting?
When the media asks Hamilton about his F1 future, he doesn't want to talk about retiring.
At the end of the season, when someone asked him what he would say to those who think he might retire soon, the 40-year-old said, I wouldn't say anything to them. None of them have done what I've done, so they don't know anything more than I do.
Last summer, after some rumors that he might leave early, Hamilton said he's staying at Ferrari until his contract is up.
He said, For those writing stories about me thinking about not racing, I've just started here with Ferrari. I've been here for a few years, and I'm in it for the long run, so there's no question about what I'm focused on achieving with this team. There are zero doubts, so please stop making stuff up.
In 2026, everyone will still be wondering about Hamilton's future in F1, mainly if Ferrari keeps struggling with the new rules. And if Steiner is right, another year of not competing for a championship could be the end for him.
MAX VERSTAPPEN NAMED PEER-VOTED DRIVER OF THE YEAR FOR FIFTH CONSECUTIVE SEASON
Max Verstappen wins his 5th straight F1 peer award, beating champion Lando Norris. Lewis Hamilton drops out of the top 10 for the first time.
Max Verstappen copped his fifth straight driver-of-the-year award in Formula 1's secret peer vote, even though he almost grabbed a fifth title in 2025 but didn't quite make it.
The drivers all voted in secret, except for four guys. The Red Bull driver beat out Lando Norris, who just won the world championship, for the number one spot.
The voting worked like the normal F1 points system. Drivers ranked their top 10 rivals. Verstappen got 25 points from six votes to win.
Norris, who won his first championship after a crazy season, came in second in the driver rankings for the second year running.
The McLaren driver won the title after fighting off pressure from Verstappen and his teammate, Oscar Piastri, all season long.
George Russell took third, moving up one spot from last year. The Mercedes driver had a killer season with two wins and seven more podiums.
Piastri was fourth, up one spot, even though his championship hopes fizzled out near the end. The Aussie was leading by 34 points at one point before his performance dropped off.
Charles Leclerc finished fifth, down two spots, even though he got everything he could out of Ferrari's SF-25. The Monegasque driver had seven podiums during a tough season that saw Ferrari finish fourth.
Carlos Sainz held onto sixth after a great comeback at Williams. After a rough start, the Spaniard grabbed two podiums in a strong second half of the season.
Fernando Alonso jumped two spots to seventh, and the two-time world champion had some crazy drives in Aston Martin's AMR25.
Alex Albon took eighth after his best season with Williams, while rookies Oliver Bearman and Isack Hadjar rounded out the top 10, getting props for their awesome first seasons.
Pierre Gasly almost made the list, even with 10 Q3 appearances in Alpine's tricky A525.
Lewis Hamilton, who's won seven world championships, didn't show up in the rankings, which is a first since they started doing this poll. It shows how rough his first season at Ferrari was.
The four drivers who skipped the vote were Hamilton, Nico Hulkenberg, Lance Stroll, and Yuki Tsunoda.