Ex-F1 Champion Slams 'No Chemistry' Between Lewis Hamilton And Ferrari

Hamilton’s 2025 highlight so far is a victory in the Chinese Sprint Race, but he’s being comprehensively outperformed by Charles Leclerc in the head-to-head.

1997 Formula 1 champion Jacques Villeneuve has questioned the dynamic of the Hamilton–Ferrari partnership so far in 2025, even suggesting that Hamilton could enter the 2026 regulation changes on the back foot.

"They're not getting what they signed," Villeneuve said bluntly on Sky Sports F1. "So there will be some frustration in there from both camps - from the team, from Lewis - because he's not getting the car he was wanting. He doesn't feel the team is behind him. The team doesn't feel Lewis is with them.

"It's not gelling, and you can hear it when he's communicating with the engineer on race day. There's no chemistry - none at all," he continued. "It's as if they're on a different planet and they don't even communicate with each other, but the same is true with Leclerc and his engineer.

"There's something really odd happening in the team that is not progressing in the right direction, and when you hear Lewis's interviews, he doesn't seem excited. He doesn't seem to believe what he says. It's as if he doesn't want to go to work. It's really, really strange.

"Now, 2026 is coming, he knows that will be a new season, this year is done. He's focusing on 2026, but for that you need to make sure that it will be your car, it will be your team.

"But if there's no chemistry, what's the point?" Villeneuve asked. "The chemistry happens - even in a tough season. That's when you really build it. It's when the going is tough; when things are easy, you don't need to build chemistry - it's easy.

Hamilton's past reflections at Hungary

In a brutally honest moment ahead of the summer break, Hamilton described himself as "useless" and said Ferrari "probably needs to change driver" ahead of 2026.

This assessment from the sport's most successful driver shows something isn't clicking, providing a worrying sight for what could come in future races.

While things may look bleak, it’s hard to overlook the fact that despite an inferior head-to-head record against his teammate, Hamilton trails Leclerc by just 42 points.

Leclerc has five Grand Prix podiums, while Hamilton has none. However, Hamilton’s consistent points finishes suggest he’s not doing as badly as he implies.