Lewis Hamilton has taken a surprisingly upbeat stance on Ferrari's 2025 campaign, insisting that the team can still count the season as a major success if they manage to finish within the top three of the Drivers' Championship. The seven‑time world champion urged fans and pundits alike to focus on the positives that have emerged over the course of a year that has been punctuated by setbacks and missed opportunities. The optimism comes at a time when both Hamilton and Ferrari have seen their chances of clinching the world title dwindle dramatically.
The British driver has not stood on the podium since the British Grand Prix in early July, and the team's performance has been inconsistent, to say the least. A race‑ending retirement in Madrid, the first for Hamilton this season, saw him fall more than 100 points behind the points leader, Kimi Antonelli, effectively ending any realistic hopes of a title challenge.
Antonelli currently enjoys an 81‑point advantage over his Mercedes teammate George Russell, while Hamilton trails Russell by 20 points. When asked about his own championship prospects ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix – the 15th round of a 23‑race calendar – Hamilton responded with a mixture of realism and determination. "He's 101 points ahead of me," he said, acknowledging the sizable gap. "In just two races he picked up around 40 points, and we’ve been fighting for every single point we can get.
There’s still a long way to go. If we can hold onto second place in the Constructors' standings, or even catch Mercedes, that would be remarkable." Hamilton emphasized that the narrative surrounding Ferrari has often been dominated by gloom. "When you compare where we were last year to where we are now, it can look bleak, but you have to look at the positives," he explained. The Italian team endured a winless 2025 season and slipped to fourth place in the Constructors' Championship, while Hamilton himself endured a historically difficult year in the scarlet colours, failing to secure a podium finish for the first time in his illustrious career.
Nevertheless, the season has not been without its highlights. Hamilton celebrated his first win of the year at the Spanish Grand Prix in June, and his teammate Charles Leclerc followed that success with a victory at Silverstone two races later. "We’ve been fighting, we’ve had wins and podiums, and the team has done an incredible job bringing upgrades to the car," Hamilton said.
"You have to acknowledge the good things we’ve done this year. Many people focus on the negatives, but if I can battle with George and somehow get ahead of him – which will be very difficult because Mercedes are the leaders – staying in the top three, even second, would be a huge achievement for us as a team." Hamilton’s comments also touched on the operational and strategic challenges that have hampered Ferrari’s recent performances.
While the team often shows speed in practice and qualifying, race‑day execution has sometimes faltered due to mistakes within their own control. "There are positives to take from the last few races, but the execution hasn’t been the best and the results reflect that," he admitted. "We learn from the areas where we weren’t as strong, and I believe we can make improvements – and we have.
I’m excited for this weekend." The broader context of the championship also includes a dominant Antonelli, who has won the last two Grands Prix and amassed eight career victories in what has been described as an extraordinary second season in Formula 1. Russell, the pre‑season favourite, has been candid about the difficulties of adapting his natural driving style to the brand‑new 2026 cars.
Despite those challenges, he reported progress during the Baku weekend, stating, "I’ve been making very good progress and feel confident I can fight for victories again." Russell highlighted the importance of maintaining that upward trajectory throughout the remainder of the season and into the relatively stable regulatory environment expected for 2027. He noted improvements in race pace, a former weakness, and expressed confidence that the team’s performance will continue to rise. "The race pace has been substantially better since the summer break, and I now feel more comfortable fighting for great results," he said. "Let’s see how the points fall out until the end of the season.
Next year will be similar – the chassis and power units won’t change much, maybe the tyres will be slightly different – so it’s crucial to keep building." Even though Russell has effectively ruled himself out of the title fight, his approach to each race weekend remains unchanged. "I’m going to keep fighting every single race until it’s mathematically impossible," he affirmed. "That doesn’t change how I do my job.
I want to try to win every race and take pole every race. That’s my goal. The performance gap is huge, but it’s not the main consideration right now; performance is the priority." The upcoming Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend is packed with activity, featuring practice sessions, qualifying, and a full slate of F2 events that will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event.
The schedule includes: - Thursday, September 24: F2 Practice at 9 am, F2 Qualifying at 10:55 am, Team Bosses' Press Conference at noon, Azerbaijan GP Practice Two at 12:30 pm, and The F1 Show at 2:15 pm. - Friday, September 25: F2 Sprint at 5:10 am, Azerbaijan GP Practice Three at 9:15 am, F2 Feature Race 1 at 11:10 am, Azerbaijan GP Qualifying build‑up at 12:30 pm, the actual qualifying at 1 pm, and Ted’s Qualifying Notebook at 3 pm. - Saturday, September 26: F2 Feature Race 2 at 7:55 am, Grand Prix start at 10:30 am, and the Azerbaijan GP race itself at noon, followed by post‑race analysis and commentary.
Fans can stream the action flexibly via the Sky Sports app, with a recommendation to use the Chrome browser for the best video experience. The service is available through NOW, offering a contract‑free option that can be cancelled at any time. In summary, while the season has been marked by disappointment and missed opportunities for both Hamilton and Ferrari, the champion remains steadfast in his belief that the team can still finish the year on a high note.
By concentrating on the progress made, the upgrades introduced, and the occasional triumphs that have punctuated a difficult campaign, Hamilton argues that a top‑three finish in the Constructors' standings would constitute a "huge achievement" and a testament to the resilience of the Scuderia.