Lewis Hamilton went into the summer break in a foul mood, describing his efforts in his new Ferrari with words like “shit” and “useless” after finishing out of the points in Hungary.

There is no doubt he has made a disappointing start at his new team. But there were signs of progress prior to that gut-punch of a weekend at the Hungaroring.

Nor is it just Hamilton who has disappointed at Ferrari this year. The team has slipped back compared to last year and its SF-25 still hasn’t won a (proper) race.

The opening round flattered to deceive. Hamilton led on his debut, though that was the consequence of an over-optimistic strategy in a rain-affected race; he finished 10th.

Lewis Hamilton

Best Worst
GP start 4 18
GP finish 4 (x3) 12
Points 109

He won the sprint race in Shanghai, leading all the way from pole position. But suspicions Ferrari could only make their car perform when running it lower to the ground than was practical for a grand prix distance appeared to be confirmed when Hamilton and team mate Charles Leclerc were disqualified for a different technical infringement after the grand prix.

Hamilton’s second-best result of the season also came in a sprint race. A well-timed switch to slick tyres as the track dried in Miami netted him third place.

As Ferrari set about improving their car, Hamilton set about trying to figure out how to drive it, eventually gravitating towards Leclerc’s set-up. Over the opening rounds Leclerc routinely out-qualified him, but Hamilton tended to improve his position on race day.

He did so even in Monaco, sparing the team’s blushes after they incurred a three-place grid drop for him on Saturday. However there was little he could do in Montreal after a luckless groundhog crossed his path.

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Having mustered just a single top-five finish from the first six grands prix, Hamilton raised his level with an eight-place gain to finish fourth at Imola, aided by making his pit stops during race neutralisations. But despite taking two more fourth places he remains yet to stand on the podium in his Ferrari overalls.

His best chance came at Silverstone, where he should have beaten Nico Hulkenberg to third place. If he had an excuse for letting the Sauber driver get the better of him in Spain, where Hulkenberg had much fresher tyres, here Hamilton missed a clear opportunity with a hasty switch to slicks at the end of the race.

Hamilton showed a better touch in the rain at Spa, hauling himself up from 18th to finish seventh. Still, it wouldn’t have been as crucial had he not incurred his second first-round qualifying elimination in as many days.

The same weekend Leclerc immediately put Ferrari’s long-awaited suspension upgrade to good use, delivering his fifth podium finish of the season. He followed that up with fourth in Hungary while Hamilton started where he finished in 12th.

Hamilton’s start to life at Ferrari has not been the unmitigated disaster some are keen to portray it as. He’s immediately behind Leclerc in the drivers’ championship and until Hungary had brought his car home in the top 10 at every grand prix. But however difficult he expected it to be, Hamilton must feel deep disappointment that he doesn’t have more to show for his efforts yet.

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