Lewis Hamilton insists that Ferrari’s 2025 campaign can still be counted as a "huge achievement" if the Scuderia manages to finish the season inside the top three of the Drivers' Championship. He urged detractors to focus on the positives that the team has shown throughout a year that has been marked by a series of setbacks and missed opportunities. The British champion and his Ferrari outfit have seen their hopes of clinching the world title evaporate over the last few races. Hamilton has not stood on the podium since the British Grand Prix in early July, and a race‑ending retirement in Madrid further widened the gap to the championship leader.
After the Madrid incident, Hamilton, who was sitting third in the standings, fell more than 100 points behind the points leader, Kimi Antonelli, effectively ending any realistic chance of defending his title. Antonelli now enjoys an 81‑point advantage over his teammate George Russell at Mercedes, while Hamilton trails Russell by 20 points. When asked about his own title prospects ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix – the 15th round of a 23‑race calendar – Hamilton answered candidly: "Well, I mean, he's 101 points ahead of me. In just two races he gained around 40 points on me, and we've been working so hard to pick up a few points here and there.
There's still a long way to go, and I think the focus for me is, if we can hold on to second – if not somehow catch Mercedes – for the constructors' championship, that would be remarkable." He added that the team must compare where they were last season with where they stand now. "Sometimes it feels doom and gloom, but you have to look at the positives," he said. Ferrari endured a winless 2025 season and slipped to fourth in the Constructors' Championship, while Hamilton endured a personally challenging year in the red, failing to secure a podium for the first time in his illustrious career.
Nevertheless, there were bright spots. Hamilton celebrated his first victory of the year at the Spanish Grand Prix in June, and his teammate Charles Leclerc followed with a win at Silverstone two races later.
Hamilton highlighted the progress: "We've been fighting, we've had wins and podiums, the team have done an incredible job in terms of bringing upgrades, so you really have to acknowledge the good things that we've done this year. I know lots of people focus on the negatives. For me, if I can battle with George and somehow get ahead of him – which would be very difficult as Mercedes are the leaders – staying in the top three, even second, would be a huge achievement for us as a team." Hamilton’s comments reflect a broader narrative about Ferrari’s performance. The team has often shown speed in qualifying and early race phases, but strategic errors and operational mishaps have repeatedly cost them valuable points.
"I think there are positives to take from the last few races, but they haven't been the best in terms of execution and we've not had the best results," Hamilton admitted. "But we take the positives forward, learn from the areas where we were weaker, and I believe we can improve – and we have.
I'm excited for this weekend." The Spanish Grand Prix also highlighted the growing gap between Antonelli and Russell, with Antonelli securing his eighth career win in just his second full season. Russell, who entered the year as a pre‑season favourite, has spoken openly about the difficulty of adapting his natural driving style to the brand‑new 2026 cars. In Baku he expressed optimism, saying, "I've been making very good progress and feel confident I can fight for victories again." He emphasized the importance of maintaining that momentum throughout the remainder of the season and into the relatively stable regulatory environment expected for 2027. Russell noted that the team has addressed many of the issues that plagued the early part of the year.
"The race pace, which was a weakness, has been substantially better and has been in the mix every single race since the summer break. I now feel more comfortable that I can fight for great results.
Let's see from now until the end of the season how the points could fall out. Next year will be pretty similar – not much has changed with the chassis or the power units, maybe the tyres will be slightly different – so it's important I continue to build." Even though he has effectively ruled himself out of the title hunt, Russell affirmed that his approach to each weekend will remain unchanged. "I'm going to keep fighting every single race until it's mathematically impossible," he said.
"But it doesn't change how I go about my job. I want to try and win every single race and put it on pole every single race.
That's my goal. That's what I'm working towards every weekend, and what happens thereafter will be what it will be. The deficit is huge, but it's not even a consideration right now – performance is the biggest priority." The upcoming Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend is packed with action, featuring F2 practice sessions, qualifying, and the main F1 events. The schedule includes practice sessions on Thursday morning, an F2 sprint on Friday, and a full slate of qualifying and race sessions across the weekend.
Sky Sports will broadcast the races live, with the option to stream via the NOW platform without a long‑term contract. In summary, Hamilton's message to critics is clear: despite a season that has often felt bleak, Ferrari has shown resilience, secured wins, and delivered upgrades that have narrowed the gap to the front‑running teams. By focusing on incremental gains, learning from past mistakes, and maintaining a positive outlook, Hamilton believes the team can finish the year in a respectable position – a result he would regard as a significant accomplishment given the challenges faced throughout the campaign.