Hamilton reveals hidden neck injury behind difficult 2025 season

Lewis Hamilton has disclosed the full severity of a neck injury from a 2025 pre-season testing crash, revealing a damaged disc left him unable to train properly for months during his difficult Ferrari debut.

Why it matters:

The admission adds critical context to Hamilton's worst F1 season in 2025, when he finished sixth without a single podium. It also highlights the scale of his turnaround into Ferrari's lead 2026 title hopeful just one year later.

The details:

• Hamilton crashed the SF-23 at Barcelona in January 2025, a collision initially deemed minor but which left him with a disc pressing against a nerve.
• He endured nine weeks of daily chiropractic treatment, painkillers, and injections, leaving him unable to sleep or train at full capacity through the early stages of last season.
• The issue compounded his adaptation struggles after leaving Mercedes, helping explain a campaign where he finished 86 points behind teammate Charles Leclerc and missed the podium for the first time in his career.
• He only detailed the injury after winning at Barcelona this season—the same circuit where the crash occurred—confirming he had been trying to "live with" the pain.

What's next:

Hamilton sits second in the 2026 standings, 41 points behind Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli and nine clear of George Russell. Ferrari is introducing a new engine update at the Red Bull Ring this weekend as it chases the Silver Arrows, though Hamilton insists he is taking the championship one race at a time. He acknowledges Mercedes remains "the team to beat," but believes Ferrari's recent momentum keeps an eighth title within reach if development continues.