Lewis Hamilton’s Brutal Handicap Exposed as Ferrari Struggles Mount

Lewis Hamilton’s high-profile move to Ferrari for the 2025 F1 season was supposed to be a fairy tale — a seven-time world champion returning to the sport’s most iconic team in search of his record breaking eighth title. But halfway through the season, things aren’t going to plan. Now, a former Ferrari driver has offered a scathing assessment that’s turning heads in the paddock.

Rene Arnoux, who raced for Ferrari in the 1980s, has suggested Hamilton’s age, who turned 40 this year, is now a “handicap” that’s holding the team back.

“He’s a great driver, but at 40, you can’t expect miracles,” Arnoux told the press. “Without a dominant car, it’s clear he struggles. Age is a handicap in Formula 1 — it always has been.”

Arnoux also questioned Ferrari’s current leadership under Fred Vasseur, saying the team is in “a bad way” and lacking clear direction despite having two experienced drivers in Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.