Lewis Hamilton left ‘devastated’ by Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton’s first Italian Grand Prix weekend as a Ferrari driver took a painful turn when both scarlet cars crashed out of Q2 at Imola, leaving the seven-time champion 12th on the grid and visibly upset.



Charles Leclerc fared little better in 11th, marking the Scuderia’s earliest joint exit from qualifying this season and souring the team’s return to its spiritual home.



Hamilton’s candid reaction



“I definitely feel devastated, just gutted I guess,” Hamilton admitted to reporters after stepping from the SF-25.



Speaking to Sky Sports he added, “The reason it’s devastating is to see everyone who has worked so hard in the garage to be in Italy for the first Italian race for me in Ferrari… it’s definitely bittersweet.”







Tyre mystery undermines progress



Hamilton insisted Ferrari had made “so many positive steps” through practice, praising improved brake feel and a calmer ride over Imola’s bumps.



Yet fresh soft tyres yielded “no extra grip,” and rivals “managed to switch the tyres on clearly,” exposing a set-up riddle engineers must solve overnight.



Practice hints go unrewarded



On Friday both drivers complained of brake inconsistencies, issues Ferrari believed were cured before qualifying.



Minor aerodynamic tweaks also arrived, but the package failed to generate the temperature window or downforce required on a circuit where traction out of slow chicanes is crucial.



Outpaced by midfield surprises



Adding to the sting, Williams and Aston Martin placed all four of their cars in Q3, continuing a trend that saw Williams upstage Ferrari in Miami.



Aston Martin’s first major upgrade of 2025 produced an immediate dividend, while Ferrari’s home crowd watched powerlessly as red flags waved for others, not for the Prancing Horse’s charge forward.



Psychological weight of expectation



Hamilton admitted that racing in front of Italy’s passionate tifosi amplified the disappointment.



“It really felt like we’d turned a corner but the lap time just wasn’t there when it mattered,” he sighed, noting the Italian fans “deserve better.”



Strategic headache for Sunday



Starting outside the top ten limits tyre choice under 2025 rules, forcing Ferrari to gamble on an undercut or pray for an early safety car.



Overtaking at Imola is notoriously tough, and long DRS trains often form from Tamburello to Rivazza, making track position king.



Looking ahead



Team boss Fred Vasseur urged calm, pointing to Ferrari’s stronger race-pace simulations and cooler race-day conditions that could tame tyre wear.



Engineers will also study how the Williams FW47 extracted grip early, hoping a comparable brake-migration tweak or front-wing flap change rescues Hamilton’s Sunday.



Bigger picture for Ferrari revival



Despite flashes of promise earlier in 2025, Ferrari sits fourth in the constructors’ standings, already adrift of resurgent McLaren and Mercedes.



Fans had earmarked Imola’s fervent atmosphere as the ideal launch pad for a comeback, yet Saturday’s stumble deepens questions about development direction.



Hamilton keeps faith



The Briton reminded observers that Ferrari endured low points before each of its historic comebacks.



“I’ve only been here a few months but I know how much fight is in this team,” he said.



“Tonight we’ll work through the data and come back swinging.”



Sunday stakes



A charge into the top eight would salvage morale, while a podium—though unlikely—could rewrite the weekend narrative entirely.



Failing that, the emphasis may shift to gathering tyre data for upcoming Monaco and Barcelona rounds where similar slow-speed balance is vital.



Fan response



Social-media footage showed tifosi applauding Hamilton as he left the paddock, underscoring their readiness to back the new Ferrari icon through adversity.



Hamilton waved back, helmet bag over his shoulder, before disappearing into the engineering debrief that could yet script an Imola rebound.
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