Source: REUTERS/MANAMI YAMADA
[Saba Sports News] Seven-time F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton made a shocking statement before the Japanese Grand Prix, personally admitting that the 2025 season is not a championship year for the Ferrari team. This rare confession reveals the deep dilemma behind the disqualification of both Ferrari cars in China, with the technical team still exploring the true characteristics of the SF-25 car. Data supports Hamilton’s judgment: Ferrari’s shortcomings in tire management are very obvious. Missing the end-of-season test in Abu Dhabi, Hamilton did not experience the 2025 tires until the rain battle in Australia, and the failure in Bahrain testing only gave him 20 dry laps of tuning opportunity. This innate disadvantage directly led to the strategic disaster in China, where Hamilton was forced to take a risky two-stop strategy while his opponents executed a standard one-stop strategy. Ultimately, he was disqualified due to excessive wear on the floor. In response, some fans say that Hamilton has already regarded the 2025 season as a year of running-in with the Ferrari technical team, preparing for the 2026 season.