“Lot of Weight on His Shoulders,” Ex-F1 Champion Sympathizes With Lewis Hamilton Over Dismal Ferrari Debut Run

Damon Hill outlined Lewis Hamilton's difficult situation at Ferrari as the F1 star fails to bring in results.

“Lot of Weight on His Shoulders,” Ex-F1 Champion Sympathizes With Lewis Hamilton Over Dismal Ferrari Debut Run

Lewis Hamilton (via Ferrari)

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Lewis Hamilton shocked the sporting world when he decided to join Scuderia Ferrari in 2025. The seven-time world champion pursued a special journey at Maranello with the aim of ending the team’s championship drought. However, his debut Ferrari campaign has failed to even come close to expectations. Now, former F1 champion Damon Hill has extended his support to Hamilton.

The 40-year-old has failed to make a mark this season. Lewis Hamilton has not managed to get a single podium so far, let alone a Grand Prix win. Albeit, the Briton did win the Sprint race in China. Though, Hamilton has grown increasingly frustrated over the entire situation. The Ferrari star even admitted that changes were necessary within Maranello.

Damon Hill reckoned that Lewis Hamilton was feeling a lot of weight on his shoulders. The F1 star is undoubtedly an all-time great, with millions of fans having extremely high expectations. Hill asserted that it was clear that Hamilton is pushing himself to the limit even though results don’t paint a good picture. The Canadian pointed out that no matter how experienced one can be, it’s never easy to perform when they feel such responsibility on their shoulders. Moreover, Hamilton’s persistent struggles in Qualifying have only added to his woes.

He feels a lot of weight on his shoulders. He’s 40 years old and a seven-time world champion, but you still feel him giving his all. It’s terribly difficult when you’ve had a bad qualifying and you have all this responsibility on your shoulders. It doesn’t matter how much experience you have. That’s tough.

Damon Hill said on Chequered Flag podcast

Damon Hill defends Lewis Hamilton over Ferrari switch fiasco

Lewis Hamilton didn’t have the easiest of times trying to fit in at Ferrari. The seven-time world champion did his best to prepare for his new team, even taking Italian lessons. Unfortunately, struggles emerged from the start as Hamilton found it difficult to adjust to the different switches in Ferrari machinery, compared to what he had at Mercedes.

Lewis Hamilton (via Ferrari)
Lewis Hamilton in the Ferrari garage (via Scuderia Ferrari)

Damon Hill highlighted that Lewis Hamilton had spent over a decade at Mercedes. As such, the 40-year-old had gotten completely used to the way of operations at Brackley. This made it much more difficult for the seven-time world champion to learn how to drive at Ferrari, be it inside or outside the car. Moreover, the difference in language would’ve not helped in making Hamilton comfortable either.

You can understand that people think that, if you’re fast, you can just jump in the saddle and go, but these cars are very complicated. When you spent ten years at Mercedes doing things a certain way, it takes a lot to get out of that way of thinking. All switches are in a different place. The way the brakes work, the sensations the car transmits, all these things are foreign to you, in addition to the fact that many people speak Italian, which he doesn’t know.

Damon Hill explained

Lewis Hamilton’s struggles seem to have no end at the moment. The F1 star’s desire to win a race with the Scuderia is distant at the moment. However, the 2026 rule change presents the perfect opportunity for Hamilton and Ferrari to make their way to the front of the pecking order. Perhaps, the seven-time world champion can finally bring glory back to Maranello next season. Though, for now, he would be hoping to make some progress in the remainder of the season.

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