Is this the end for Lewis Hamilton? Ferrari star is struggling – but write him off at your peril

Hamilton heads to Monza, Ferrari’s home race, adored by thousands despite a bruising season so far. Kieran Jackson sets the scene and explains why the 40-year-old can still resurrect his Scuderia experience

Walking up the Viale Regina Margherita on Italian Grand Prix weekend, a stone’s throw from the enormous Parco di Monza where this thrillingly high-speed circuit sits at its core, you hit a horde of red-clad devotees. From early in the morning to late at night, they are stood waiting outside the Hotel de la Ville – which has been christened Monza’s ‘Drivers Hotel.’

This is where Ferrari, and a host of other teams, house their drivers. Regularly, a huge cheer will emerge as a driver pops outside to sign autographs and pose for selfies. Mere metres away, a poster of Lewis Hamilton holding a photoshopped goat, to signify his status as the greatest F1 driver of all time, is being held by another Scuderia supporter. This year, more than ever, the excitement reverberates around this quaint city in north-eastern Italy.

Closer to the track, just prior to a road named after Enzo Ferrari, the iconic logo is pegged to every food outlet and merchandise pop-up. Only this time, for the first time since the days of Nigel Mansell in the 1990s, a British flag accompanies the prancing horse placed on the Italian flag, under the September sun.

A British flag next to the Ferrari prancing horse logo (Kieran Jackson/The Independent)

A fan holds an 'Always with you Lewis' poster at the entrance to the Monza circuit (Kieran Jackson/The Independent)

On the whole, the wave of adulation for Lewis Hamilton – in January at his unveiling in Maranello and at Italy’s other F1 race, Imola, in May – has been unprecedented in Formula 1. One of the sport’s best drivers, refusing to bow to father time at 40, in partnership with motorsport’s most fabled outfit. Inevitably, and in hindsight, perhaps naively, the hype-train was at fever pitch.

Except, the reality of Hamilton in scarlet red where it matters most – the racetrack – has not matched that scale of zeal. Six months and 15 races in, the seven-time world champion is yet to finish on the podium. He has not qualified, or finished, higher than fourth for a grand prix. Crushingly, his championship tilt did not so much whimper away but fail to click into gear at all.

And ahead of this weekend, one of the most important of his campaign, Hamilton is already handicapped. Before last week’s Dutch Grand Prix – where he crashed out before the halfway stage – the Briton foolishly failed to slow down on the pre-race reconnaissance lap, driving needlessly fast as he approached the pit-straight. It means he starts with a five-place grid penalty for this Sunday’s race.

Overall, then, it has been bruising. Yet over the course of 19 years in F1, Hamilton has faced hardship and fruitlessness. His final four years at McLaren saw him nowhere near championship contention. More recently, the end of his 12-year stay at Mercedes saw him pick up just two wins in three years. It is those moments which Hamilton was keen to highlight, as he spoke with potency to the media on Thursday.

“There’s been plenty of seasons which have felt difficult,” he said. “But this one... I’m at a different place in my life.

Lewis Hamilton has endured a tough start at Ferrari (Getty Images)

“I’m really living the dream to race with Ferrari. I had the whole of last year to prepare for it and there were a lot of things you couldn’t foresee; there’s been a lot of adjustment. They’ve moved heaven and earth to accommodate me, and there’s been a cultural difference.

“But the harder it is, the better it can make you. It’s been tough for everyone in the team but it prepares us for better days, we’ll be stronger for the last six months and I’m excited for the uphill battle from here.”

Hamilton’s mentality, in dealing with adversity and, away from F1, in standing up for fairness, equality and diversity in the world, is why F1’s one and only black driver transcends his sport. His words, in these moments, are genuinely compelling. They are also a stern message for those back at base in Maranello, working on next year’s car amid a new era in the sport with a fresh set of engine and chassis regulations.

Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are yet to win in 2025 (Getty Images)

While 2025 is, undoubtedly, a lost cause amid McLaren’s intra-team title battle, next year is a fresh book. A host of teams have their sights set on the top, not least his former team Mercedes – who are rumoured to be the frontrunners at this stage.

But, for the first time in 20 years, why not Ferrari? They have a host of experts in their field. They have a highly respected team principal in Fred Vasseur, a popular, light-hearted Frenchman who worked with Hamilton in junior racing and whose recent new contract (despite a winless campaign thus far) speaks volumes to his stature.

“For Lewis and everybody, confidence is key,” Vasseur said on Friday. “Even in tough moments, the fans have always been positive. This week gives a mega push to the drivers in terms of self-confidence.”

Hamilton was quickest in the first practice session on Friday in Monza (Getty Images)

And, most tantalisingly, should they be given a car capable of winning races, Ferrari have the best driver line-up on the grid in Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.

The Monegasque loves these Monza weekends. A winner here twice since his Ferrari debut in 2019, he was victorious here last year amid joyous scenes. And, intriguingly, Ferrari secured a one-two standing in the first practice session on Friday, with Hamilton topping an F1 session for the first time since his sprint race victory in China back in March.

Around F1’s fastest track this weekend, the margins will be thin. A podium for Hamilton this weekend – and who knows, maybe even a win – would be the much-needed spark to his Ferrari career.

And then, regardless of his finishing position come Abu Dhabi in December (he currently sits sixth in the standings), he will be eagerly jumping into 2026 knowing his last dance could, still, bring the fairytale eighth world championship he so desperately craves. Even if, right now, it seems light-years away.