Lewis Hamilton receives damning indictment on Ferrari start: 'A slap around the ears - and hard as well'

04/22/2025 12:30 PM

Lewis Hamilton is enduring a wretched start to life with Ferrari, a far cry from the wave of optimism that followed the seven-time F1 drivers' champion to the Italian team over the winter. It was the most highly-anticipated move in the championship's history, billed as motorsport's most iconic figure joining its most iconic team. But the opening five rounds of the Briton's Maranello residency have been miserable, save for one bright spot: victory in the sprint at the Chinese Grand Prix. His form and accompanying results have been a departure from what most expected, in stark contrast to the post-Mercedes revival anticipated. Last year, over a series of interviews, former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde told RacingNews365 what he believed the combination of Hamilton and Ferrari could achieve this season. "17 to 18 podiums," the Dutchman predicted. "I can see him competing for the world title... with Max Verstappen, right up to the last race." Now, a few months on, the 39-year-old bursts out laughing when those comments are put to him. "That would have been great if it had happened," he says in his latest conversation with RacingNews365 . "That was kind of my gut feeling and, of course, the wish was kind of the father of the thought. "You just hope that if Hamilton makes such a move to Ferrari it will be a success," he adds before highlighting the disparity in performance between the 105-time grand prix winner and Charles Leclerc. "But fair's fair, he has had a slap around the ears from his team-mate - and hard as well." Facing a new generation The Monegasque driver has outscored Hamilton 47 points to 31 so far this campaign, including taking the Scuderia's first podium of the season at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. When asked what is going wrong for the 105-time grand prix winner at the Prancing Horse, Van der Garde zeroes in on one key factor. "Confidence," the former Caterham F1 driver says. "That's the main thing. When he came into Formula 1, he was a cannon, young and eager. "He came in next to Fernando Alonso and later he knew with Nico Rosberg [at Mercedes] that he actually had the upper hand - he had beaten him fairly easily since karting." However, times have changed - and so have the drivers Hamilton is competing against, save for Alonso, who is still going strong at 43 years of age. "He's facing a different generation now," Van der Garde points out. "He's getting older and also took a hit when he didn't manage to take that eighth world title. "Then for years he didn't have the car to compete at the front, although he did show some good races last year. At Silverstone, of course, he did produced a super performance. "But as I said, he is also facing a younger generation that knows how to handle the driving techniques of the current generation of cars a little better than Hamilton has learned. I think at the moment that's a problem he can't get out of." Can Hamilton turn it around? Hamilton has struggled to get to grips with the current - contemporary ground effects - generation of F1 cars. It is something Van der Garde, who is a year younger than the Ferrari driver, can empathise with, given they came up through the ranks at the same time. "Of course I know a little bit about how I grew up and the driving style that was rammed into us, which is different from the generation of Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Lando Norris," he explains. "They just drive differently, a bit rounder and can deal with a loose rear end a bit easier. "I think if we went back to the generation [of F1 cars] from about five or six years ago, he would still be superior. But with the new generation he just struggles more." Van der Garde, having raced against Hamilton in F1 in 2013, believes the British driver can still find a way to turn the tide on his errant form. "You don't change your driving style overnight," he states. "You can try something here and there, but you still fall back on your base. But if he can get it turned around with a car that is stable at the back, then he can get back into the game. He's still really super fast, of course."