Lewis Hamilton missing key figure at Ferrari as Mercedes comparison made

Lewis Hamilton prepares for his Ferrari debut at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton is struggling at Ferrari in part because he’s lacking someone who serves as the go-between for driver and team — a role Niki Lauda served at Mercedes.

This is the assessment of Ferrari mechatronics engineer Francesco Cigarini, who pointed out that the seven-time World Champion may need a less “extreme” machine in order to find his footing.

Lewis Hamilton lacking key go-between at Ferrari

The bombshell announcement that Lewis Hamilton would join Scuderia Ferrari for the F1 2025 season brought with it ample excitement for what was slated to be a meeting of Formula 1’s greats — but so far, the union has gotten off to a challenging start.

While teammate Charles Leclerc has amassed five podiums for the Prancing Horse, Hamilton has thus far failed to grace the top three finishing positions in a Grand Prix.

In fact, the seven-time champion seemed to be caught in something of a negative mental feedback loop, blasting himself as “useless” after being knocked out of Q2 during the Hungarian Grand Prix.

But according to Ferrari mechatronics engineer Francesco Cigarini, the real problem is that Hamilton is lacking a mentor at the team who can help him ease into this new environment.

Asked to speak to Hamilton’s self-deprecatory comments in the media, Cigarini told Formula1.it, “If you’re part of the team, you understand the dynamics that might help you understand why he says that.

“From the outside, I can say that he demands a lot from himself and from those around him. I posted something [on Instagram] a little while ago because I was thinking about this situation and it occurred to me that one thing that worked very well for Hamilton [at Mercedes] – and which doesn’t exist at Ferrari – is Niki Lauda: someone who acts as a link between the team and the driver, conveying what Hamilton wants in a slightly less blunt manner.

“Someone who acts as a spokesperson and acts as a glue between the whole team and the driver: that was what Lauda could do well and what was good for Hamilton.”

It was Lauda who encouraged Mercedes to bring Hamilton into the fold back in 2013.

At the time, the Austrian was serving as a non-executive chairman at Mercedes. He approached Hamilton with a proposition that ultimately delivered into six additional championships. That success was thanks in part to Lauda’s ability to serve as a go-between for the driver and the team, translating requests and information into a language both could understand.

At Ferrari, though, Hamilton is navigating new waters by himself.

The F1 2026 regulations, then, could prove to be a lifeline for Hamilton — but in Cigarini’s eyes, the former champion’s mental state seems to suggest the 40-year-old is grasping for help.

“Every rule change is an opportunity for someone who hasn’t been able to seize it before,” Cigarini explained.

“[Hamilton’s] experience and understanding of the new way of driving could help in some way, but he needs to have an efficient car.”

The “extreme” Ferrari, Cigarini notes, may be causing him issues, saying, “He is used to a car that behaves in a certain way, thanks to both him and the technical team. A car that gives him confidence, not as extreme as today’s Ferrari. A more solid car, more ‘honest’ in its behaviour.

“He has a champion at home [Leclerc] who has a lot of experience, so I think it could be a mental reset for him, but I don’t know how ambitious [Hamilton] is in imposing his way of being at Ferrari and how well or accurately it is received, I don’t know that.

“From the statements he makes from time to time, it’s as if he’s sounding the alarm bell.”

Hamilton has suggested that an early exit could be on the horizon, though it is unclear how sincere those implications are. For now, though, the former champion will be eagerly awaiting the F1 2026 regulations and the potential transformation of the status quo that could come with them.