Ferrari Engineer: Hamilton's Struggles Look 'Worse from Outside Than Reality'

A senior Ferrari engineer has pushed back against the narrative of a fractured relationship with Lewis Hamilton, asserting that the perceived struggles from the public are more severe than the actual working dynamic inside the team. Despite a challenging first season marked by performance gaps and public frustration, the Scuderia insists its partnership with the seven-time champion is on a positive trajectory.

Why it matters:

The perception of discord between F1's most famous driver and its most iconic team can become a destabilizing narrative, affecting morale and external confidence. Ferrari's public reassurance is a strategic move to control the story, emphasize internal unity, and project stability as they head into a critical winter of development for the 2026 regulation reset.

The details:

• Ferrari's head of track engineering, Matteo Togninalli, directly addressed the external perception, stating, "I think what you see from the outside is much worse than what it is."
• He contextualized Hamilton's adaptation period, noting the immense challenge of changing teams after a decade with Mercedes, especially in a season where the car was not a championship contender.
• Togninalli highlighted the progress made, claiming the team has built "a very, very strong team" with Hamilton in just ten months and described the ongoing relationship as "extremely positive."
• The performance disparity was significant: teammate Charles Leclerc outscored Hamilton by 86 points, secured seven podiums, and regularly fought for pole position, while Hamilton's season ended with three consecutive Q1 eliminations.
• Public pressure intensified when Ferrari chairman John Elkann urged drivers to "speak less and concentrate on driving," a comment widely interpreted as aimed at Hamilton's vocal frustrations.

Between the lines:

The team's messaging serves a dual purpose: protecting a valuable asset in Hamilton and shielding the organization from criticism. By attributing struggles to the natural friction of a major transition and a non-competitive car, Ferrari frames 2025 as a necessary growing pain rather than a fundamental failure of the high-profile signing. Hamilton's own actions—documenting feedback and planning winter efficiency reviews—signal a committed, analytical approach to solving the problems, not a desire to exit.

What's next:

All focus shifts to 2026 and the new regulatory era, which Hamilton openly welcomes. The clean sheet of paper offers a reset for both driver and team to build a car around his feedback from the ground up.

• Hamilton has ruled out retirement and cites his "love for racing" and an unfulfilled "dream" as core motivations.
• The winter will be spent analyzing and refining working processes on both sides to hit the ground running with a new car philosophy.
• The ultimate solution, as Togninalli noted, is performance: "Results is the best help for us. Giving the performing car and results, I think, is fundamental."