Ralf Schumacher urges Lewis Hamilton to give Ferrari ‘their money’s worth’ in 2025

Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher asserted that Lewis Hamilton will need to improve his results at Ferrari in the coming races.

Lewis Hamilton (via Ferrari), Ralf Schumacher (via IMAGO)

Lewis Hamilton‘s Ferrari campaign has been nothing short of a disaster. The seven-time world champion joined Maranello at the start of 2025 after a few woeful seasons at Mercedes. Hamilton hoped to turn things around when he joined the Italian squad. But that has not been the case. Now, former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher has asserted that the Scuderia will be looking to get its value from the Briton’s expensive contract.

The seven-time world champion had high ambitions for his dream move to Maranello. Lewis Hamilton hoped to the driver who would finally bring back success to Ferrari, which has failed to win a title since 2008. So far, the Briton has not even come close to being a threat in a Grand Prix. Albeit, he did win the sprint race in China. Yet, this is a far cry from the massive expectations on Hamilton’s shoulders.

Lewis Hamilton has become increasingly frustrated in recent weeks. The 40-year-old seems to be slowly losing motivation and expects a rather painful campaign for the rest of the year. However, Ralf Schumacher reckons that the F1 star cannot give up so easily.

I think he was really looking for a new challenge, and it was also simply time for something new. Things were not exactly smooth at Mercedes either. And he made that decision very early on. We mustn’t forget that... If he’s giving up already, that’d be quite early. I can hardly believe that.
Ralf Schumacher said on Backstage Boxengasse podcast

Moreover, Schumacher acknowledged that Ferrari does expect to get their money’s worth from Hamilton. Considering the seven-time world champion bagged one of the biggest deals in the paddock when he moved to Maranello this year.

Expectations are high. Ferrari naturally wants their money’s worth. So, Lewis has to perform – and he probably will.
Ralf Schumacher added

Ex-F1 driver declares Lewis Hamilton stuck in same Mercedes-like loop at Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton’s sprint win ‘not a fluke’

The 40-year-old had a slow start to the 2025 season despite showing promise during early testing with the team. The Chinese GP showed glimpses of performance from the Briton ahead of the main race. Lewis Hamilton dominated the sprint race, fending off reigning world champion Max Verstappen. Though, this pace did not carry forward to the Grand Prix on Sunday, with Hamilton falling way off the mark.

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

Ralf Schumacher insisted that the sprint triumph in China for not a fluke for Hamilton. The German emphasized that under the right conditions, the 40-year-old was still a force to be reckoned with. It must be noted that Lewis Hamilton’s drop in performance after the sprint race in Shanghai was attributed to a change in the car set-up.

That was no fluke. He can still do it, but he needs the right conditions and the right material. And there are circuits coming up that will suit him better. He needs to continue developing. He shouldn’t close himself off or give up hope. But it takes time.
Ralf Schumacher explained

Certainly, Lewis Hamilton is not in the best position with Ferrari at the moment. The seven-time world champion needs to find a way to get back to his old form if he wants his stint at Maranello to succeed. Unfortunately, it seems that Hamilton in his mind, is already on the verge of giving up on his debut campaign. The Briton might now be looking to bank on the 2026 rules to get back to winning ways. However, the Tifosi would hope that things improve for Hamilton in the next race in Miami.

Tags: Lewis Hamilton ralf schumacher

#About the Author

Armaan Agarwal

(2582 Articles Published)

Armaan Agarwal is a Motorsport Sub-editor and Content Manager at Firstsportz. He has written over 2500 articles with around 1000 edited pieces under his belt. Armaan has years of experience in the field of journalism, having followed Formula 1 and NASCAR for almost a decade. Nico Rosberg's title victory at the 2016 Abu Dhabi GP against Lewis Hamilton remains engraved in his memory. He started his journey with his own motorsport blog in 2017. At Firstsportz, Armaan provides deep insight into the sport for fans through his special editorial pieces. Armaan has several other skills, including social media content creation, script writing, and debating. He completed his Bachelors of Arts in Mass Communication with a gold medal from St. Xavier’s University Kolkata. Presently, he is pursuing his Post Graduation in Broadcast Journalism at the India Today Media Institute with a keen eye at the ever-evolving dynamics of a newsroom. Apart from motorsport, he is an avid reader and keeps himself up to date with current affairs.

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