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Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari Struggles Examined By Fernando Alonso’s Longstanding Manager

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Luke-John Buckle | Last updated Sep 6, 2025 9:39 AM ET

Lewis Hamilton's much-anticipated move to Ferrari has yielded very little success, and he now holds the record for the most races for the Scuderia without a podium with 15.

The seven-time world champion has been comprehensively beaten by teammate Charles Leclerc, who has spearheaded Ferrari's challenge this year.

Hamilton did have a brief upturn in form in China as he won the Sprint, but suffered a needless incident last time out at the Dutch Grand Prix.

He is also suffering with a five-place grid penalty at the Italian Grand Prix after a pre-race yellow flags infringement in the Netherlands.

Hamilton's start to life at Ferrari has been underwhelming after the team fought for the Constructors' Championship last season.

Alpine's executive advisor, Flavio Briatore, is still linked with Hamilton's long-time rival, Fernando Alonso, as personal manager, despite the Spaniard racing for Aston Martin.

He told Italian publication Gazzetta Dello Sport that Briatore doesn't doubt Hamilton's talent, but is adamant he wouldn't have anticipated so many issues.

Briatore said: “He’s a great driver, there’s no doubt about that. But the difficulties he’s having adapting to the car demonstrate how difficult these cars are to drive. He certainly didn’t expect to have so many problems to begin with.

“I don’t know the root of his adaptation issues, even with the team. But we’ll see how things change with next year’s cars.”

The 2026 Season May Give Hamilton a Lift

Hamilton has struggled with the ground effect generation of cars since they were introduced in 2022. George Russell beat him at Mercedes, and the 40-year-old hasn't got on terms with Leclerc at Ferrari.

Next season may provide Hamilton with a new opportunity to clinch his record-breaking eighth world championship with the new regulations.

The cars will be slightly smaller than this year, and both the chassis and engines will be different too, with added electrical power.

Ferrari's rear suspension has caused problems, as the Italian team needs to raise the car's ride height, which in turn costs performance. They will have to learn from this to challenge for the championship next year.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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