“No doubt about that,” Sebastian Vettel gives blunt verdict on Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari disaster

Four-time F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel did not hold back from giving an honest verdict on Lewis Hamilton's debut Ferrari campaign.

“No doubt about that,” Sebastian Vettel gives blunt verdict on Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari disaster

Sebastian Vettel (via IMAGO), Lewis Hamilton (via Getty)

Lewis Hamilton‘s start to the 2025 season with Ferrari has been nothing short of a disaster. The Briton has failed to amass any notable results in the first five outings with Maranello. Moreover, Hamilton has been outscored by his teammate Charles Leclerc. Now, with the 40-year-old’s pace seemingly worsening with every race, Sebastian Vettel has delivered a brutal verdict on the former’s performance.

Lewis Hamilton started the 2025 season with great hopes of contending for the championship with Ferrari. However, as depicted by the results, Hamilton is falling desperately behind the leading pack in the drivers’ standings. Many people have already started to write off the 40-year-old’s chances to succeed with the Italian constructor this year. Still, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel has an iota of faith in the Ferrari star’s prospects.

Sebastian Vettel noted that Lewis Hamilton undoubtedly knew how to drive well. The 40-year-old was a complete all-rounder and honored his duties with utmost care. Despite the positivity behind Hamilton’s move to Ferrari, he still needs some time to accustom himself to the Prancing Horse. The German believes that with a little performance improvement from the team, the seven-time champion could really start scoring well in his outings on the track. So far, Lewis Hamilton has not been able to get back to his prime form. The Briton had hoped to rediscover his mojo at the Scuderia.

I believe that Lewis can drive – there’s no doubt about that, He can do everything that is asked of him. It is also completely normal that you need a little time. If development moves in the right direction, Ferrari will be in a completely different position.

Sebastian Vettel told Sky Sports

Vettel also refused to write off either of the drivers or the team so early on in the 2025 season. The reason behind this was that the Briton had just joined the team and faced a completely new environment in terms of engineers and crew members. The German asserted that some drivers like Hamilton, might require a little more time than others to get used to a new team. As such, the 40-year-old must show up with performances now as he is still backed by many notable figures at the pinnacle of motorsport.

You shouldn’t write off the team or the two drivers. It’s a new environment, a different culture, different people. Some just take longer to find their way around.

Sebastian Vettel added

Sebastian Vettel has ‘fingers crossed’ for Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari

The Tifosi have banked massive hopes on Lewis Hamilton to return the lost glory to Ferrari. Now, the 40-year-old might face a disastrous situation if he fails to perform well. Sebastian Vettel still believes that Hamilton can resurrect his lost pace and start performing better with the Italian constructor. Ferrari also has to cover a lot of ground against the rivals in terms of pace to help the drivers fight for race wins.

Fred Vasseur, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc (via Motorsport Week)
Fred Vasseur, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc (via Motorsport Week)

Vettel reassures that he has his fingers crossed for Lewis Hamilton to succeed at Ferrari. The German pointed out that he raced the 40-year-old for a very long time and got along with him well. The two battled it out for several years at the front of the grid. With Hamilton having the upper hand during Vettel’s time at Ferrari. The four-time champion pinpointed that Hamilton’s on-track skills were evident and need not be pointed out time and again to be proven.

Yeah, my fingers crossed. I obviously have raced him a long time. We get along really well, and he’s by far the most outspoken driver on the grid at the minute, His on track skills don’t need to be repeated. I think the numbers and statistics speak for themselves. So naturally, my fingers are crossed, for him to win the championship.

Sebastian Vettel told the BBC

Lewis Hamilton still has to work extremely hard in order to score better results with the Italian constructor. While Hamilton is struggling to keep up with the winning pace, Charles Leclerc is scoring much better than his British counterpart. Hence, the 40-year-old must at least bridge the gap to his teammate to remain in contention for the drivers’ title. Time will tell about how the final year of the ground effect era pans out for the seven-time champion.

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